Josh Harrison, placed on the 10-day disabled list on April 16 with a broken hand, has been cleared to return to full baseball activities and is optimistic he'll soon begin a rehab assignment to prepare for his return to the Pirates.
Harrison, 30, fractured the fifth metacarpal of his left hand on a hit-by-pitch in Miami on April 15 — the same bone he broke on a hit-by-pitch last September. He was expected to miss approximately six weeks and took batting practice prior to Friday night's game at PNC Park.
Harrison will be examined again in the coming days. He told reporters Saturday he's responded well since increasing his workload in the past week and expressed confidence his return to the field is near.
"[The doctor] has cleared me to pretty much see what I can do," he said. "They’ll start ramping up my activity. Yesterday it felt good to be back on the field."
Harrison broke the bone when he was hit with a 96 mph fastball from Marlins starting pitcher Jose Ureña, and he was placed on the disabled list the next day. Adam Frazier, Sean Rodriguez and Max Moroff have split time at second base since Harrison's injury.
He was batting .263 with two doubles, one home run, five RBIs, and 12 runs scored in 13 games. His 2016 was cut short by a groin injury, but an injury coming via hit-by-pitch has become a point of contention. After all, Harrison was hit by 23 pitches in 2017, and the final one on Sept. 2 ended his season after 128 games.
The timing of the injury did not give him a chance to return. This time, though, Harrison entered the rehab process knowing he'd be able to return sometime in June, barring any setbacks. He declined to say if tests revealed the bone has fully healed, saying his singular focus is the doctor's timetable for his return.
Harrison will now begin to face increased velocity in the cage, but weather is the most recent obstacle he's faced in his rehab. Rain forced the Pirates to take batting practice in the cage Saturday, rather than on the field like Harrison had hoped. He has a clear plan for how to return, though.
"Start there, and from there be ready to go out," Harrison said when asked if velocity is his next step. "Hopefully, soon. If you leave it up to me I’m leaving soon."
The Pirates are 11-12 since Harrison suffered the injury, and Frazier is batting .239/.299/.296 with only two extra-base hits in that span. He's also struck out 15 times, scoring eight runs in 17 starts. Rodriguez hasn't fared much better, batting .167 in 42 at-bats.