Polanco to 10-day DL, Ortiz recalled from Indy taken at PNC Park (Pirates)

The hamstring injury that kept Gregory Polanco out of the lineup Tuesday will force him to miss at least the next eight days.

Polanco, who suffered a left hamstring strain in the Pirates' win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday, was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday, retroactive to May 15. In a corresponding move, the club recalled outfielder Danny Ortiz from Triple-A Indianapolis.



The starting right fielder has struggled for much of the season. He owns a .252/.336/.370 slash line in 34 games, driving in nine runs with one home run. His nine RBI are as many as José Osuna has in 57 fewer plate appearances, but he was trending upward before suffering the injury chasing a fly ball in Phoenix.

Polanco is on a four-game hitting streak with an RBI in each of those four games. Clint Hurdle said placing him on the disabled list will only help Polanco continue to build on the momentum he discovered at the plate.

"For him to take three days and try to push back at whatever percent it would be — it would be a lot lower percent he had when he went out," Hurdle told reporters before Wednesday's 7:05 p.m. game against the Nationals at PNC Park. "This man steals bases, he plays the outfield, he hits in the box. It’s his left hamstring; it’s the load side of his body. Give him some time now. This way we might actually be able to leverage an opportunity to get him back on the 11th day and play at a much fuller strength than he has right now or he doesn’t even have enough to play right now."

Head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk said confirmed that Polanco returning on May 26 — the Pirates play the Mets at PNC Park that night — is a realistic timetable. Polanco told the training staff he would prefer to continue playing after a few days off, but Hurdle and Neal Huntington chose to err on the side of caution.

The impact of carrying an injured player showed in the Pirates'  8-4 loss to the Nationals Tuesday night. After utilizing Osuna and Alen Hanson as pinch-hitters, Hurdle had only Gift Ngoepe and Chris Stewart available on the bench. That played into Hurdle's decision to remove Andrew McCutchen in a double-switch when facing a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Polanco was walking without a limp in the clubhouse Wednesday afternoon, but did not have time to speak to reporters. Though Hurdle would prefer to have his clean-up hitter in the lineup against the top offense in the National League, he said the positives outweighed the negatives when deciding what to do with Polanco.

"There’s too many reasons to not unplug him, give him every opportunity to find his way back and to as close to full strength as he can toward the end of this," Hurdle said. "It’s going to take how long it takes. That said, he walked out feeling in a good place. He’s back in right field. He’s comfortable there. He was running the bases with strength and he was taking some ownership of the batter’s box for an extended period of time — for over a week — which was nice to see."

This is Ortiz's second stint with the Pirates, though he was only with them for one day on April 29. The right-handed hitter was batting .253 with four doubles and three RBI in 27 games for the Indians. He made his major league debut on April 29 in Miami and played the final three innings in right field.

The game ended with Ortiz in the on-deck circle. His returned seemed likely when he did not play in either game of a doubleheader for Indianapolis on Tuesday in Columbus. The left-handed hitting outfielder spent all of last season with Indianapolis, batting .236 with 19 doubles, 17 home runs and 57 RBI in 130 games.

Though he has posted double-digit home run totals in each season since 2010, Ortiz earned a return trip to Pittsburgh because of his glove. Indianapolis manager Andy Barkett has alternated the 27-year-old at each of the outfield positions, though most of his time as been spent in center field and right field. Ortiz has played 116 innings in center and 92 in right this season in Indianapolis, with only 28 in left.

With Austin Meadows still struggling at the plate and utility-man Chris Bostick needing more reps in the outfield, Ortiz became a logical choice if the need arises for a late-inning defensive replacement. Hurdle also said he has began thinking about other outfield possibilities, including possibly using Josh Harrison in the outfield

After enjoying the experience of his first call-up — which was cut short when the Pirates needed an emergency catcher following Francisco Cervelli's injury — Ortiz is overjoyed to return to the major leagues. He doesn't plan to only show off his glove though.

Like most players who make the long ascent through the minor leagues, he dreams of getting his first major league hit.

"I’m excited to get an opportunity to bat, to be able to help my team out," Ortiz said in Spanish, with interpreter Mike Gonzalez translating. "Get an opportunity to show what I have, but also more than anything have an opportunity to have that experience. Like every ball player you dream to have that opportunity. You getting that ball from your first hit and that’s what I’m excited for. I’m excited to be here."

• Tomczyk told reporters left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo, who has been on the disabled list with a left quad injury since April 25, has thrown off a mound for the past six days and that will continue this week with an increased intensity of sprint workouts.

• Josh Harrison is not in the lineup Wednesday night because of a scheduled day off.

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