DENVER — Josh Bell's first stint on the major-league disabled list has come to an end. Bell, who suffered a strained left oblique July 27, was activated by the Pirates before first pitch Wednesday and is starting at first base in the series finale against the Rockies at Coors Field.
The club optioned first baseman Jose Osuna to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room for Bell on the roster. Bell ramped up baseball activities over the past five days, hitting in the cage, running sprints on the field and fielding ground balls. Now, he'll rejoin a lineup that scored 10 runs on 10 hits Tuesday night.
"It was tough," Bell said. "Definitely came as a surprise, but things kind of changed last night. It was fun to watch that game. Offense came alive a little bit. Hopefully, I can add to that today."
Bell batted .323 with a .856 OPS, 10 doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs in his last 35 games prior to the injury. The 25-year-old is slashing .266/.347/.402 this season, hitting six home runs and 49 RBIs in 104 games. He was a finalist for National League Rookie of the Year after recording 90 RBIs in 159 games last season, and he had not been on the disabled list since 2014, when he suffered a left knee contusion while playing for Double-A Altoona.
Bell also played through a minor oblique injury that season. However, he couldn't do the same this time. He felt the pain on a swing in the fifth inning against the Mets on July 27 at PNC Park and trotted slowly to first base after grounding out. Since oblique injuries tend to linger, the Pirates were cautious with Bell by having him first begin trunk stabilization exercises to activate the core muscles.
Bell responded well and progressed into baseball activities last week. He said the pain ceased fairly quickly, so there were no mental roadblocks to overcome when finally engaging the oblique muscle. After all, a serious oblique injury can force a player to miss four to six weeks. Bell took ground balls during batting practice Tuesday and fielded one-hoppers from third-base coach Joey Cora earlier in the afternoon.
"It was good to get on the field the last couple days," Bell said. "There were a couple backhand balls I haven’t taken in a week. Everything checked out, check swings, batting practice. Check swings off the machine. Everything is holding up. I’m definitely happy to be all clear now."
In his absence, Osuna, David Freese and Francisco Cervelli all started at first base. Osuna had just three hits in 17 at-bats, Freese batted .400 with 11 RBIs during the nine-game homestand and Cervelli fared well in his first game action at first base since April 2016.
With Bell back, Hurdle did not rule out using Cervelli at first base, particularly against left-handed pitching. Elias Diaz is batting .371 against lefties this season, and Cervelli is 10 for 26 with six RBIs in his past eight games. The Giants have lefty starters expected to pitch against the Pirates on Thursday and Friday.
Hurdle also could use Freese at first with Colin Moran at third base. Plus, the Pirates are likely to initially err on the side of caution with Bell, given the nature of an oblique injury.
"All of them want to come back and all of them want to engage," Hurdle said. "It usually takes some games, see some pitches to acclimate timing. He’s done all the work we can ask him to do. He can’t work any harder to get to the point to go out and play today than he has. The work he’s done inside ... He’s ready to play. We’ll see how he plays."
Osuna, 25, has batted .223 with a .661 OPS in 278 career major-league at-bats, and he hasn't hit more than 10 home runs in the minors since 2016. He spent 106 games with the Pirates last season and spent the offseason learning third base in the Venezuelan Winter League.
• Reliever Nick Burdi, acquired by the Pirates following the Rule 5 Draft in December and recovering from Tommy John surgery, had his rehab stopped at Double-A Altoona last week after he suffered a left quad strain. He has joined Triple-A Indianapolis, where he began playing catch on flat ground. The Pirates are in the early stages of mapping out a plan for him, said Todd Tomczyk, the club's director of sports medicine.
• Starting pitcher Chad Kuhl continues to complete advanced plyometric activities and gripping exercises but has yet to begin throwing. Kuhl, who was placed on the disabled list June 29 with a right forearm strain, is expected to resume throwing "soon," per Tomczyk.
"To pinpoint a specific date, no, but he's at the advanced stages of throwing-like activities in a rehab setting, so we're getting close," Tomczyk said.