DENVER -- Gregory Polanco sure doesn't sound like he expects to be out of the Pirates' lineup long at all.
He reinjured his left hamstring Friday, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday, and Neal Huntington strikingly declared him out "week-to-week" on his Sunday morning radio show on 93.7 The Fan, in addition to suggesting he might seek outfield help before Major League Baseball's July 31 trading deadline.
All of which came across as unmistakably bleak regarding Polanco's status.
Well, in his first comments since getting hurt, Polanco told me on Sunday afternoon, after the 13-3 loss to the Rockies, that he's "feeling a lot better" and that he doesn't think he'll be sent out for a minor-league conditioning assignment, though he cautioned that decision obviously wouldn't be his. He also was walking without a limp, and he wasn't seen wearing any kind of protective wrap.
The Pirates were plenty displeased with Polanco, as I reported Saturday from background conversations, as they felt -- as is common in professional sports when it comes to hamstrings -- that he could have prepared better to avoid a recurrence of the same injury that caused him to miss 11 days in late May. Clint Hurdle, in addressing that issue on the record, also said Saturday that Polanco might "go down" to rehabilitate, strongly suggesting a stint with Class AAA Indianapolis. But Polanco accompanied the Pirates on their charter flight to San Francisco after the game and, thus, is a good bet to follow through on the trip's final stop in San Diego and continue working out with the major-league team.