MILWAUKEE — Gregory Polanco could miss seven to nine months after undergoing surgery to stabilize his dislocated left shoulder and repair a damaged labrum, the Pirates announced Friday afternoon.
Polanco traveled to New York for a second opinion before the procedure was performed Wednesday by Dr. David Altchek, who confirmed the Pirates' initial diagnosis. The injury was sustained Sept. 7, when Polanco slid awkwardly into second base and also suffered a severe bone bruise in his left knee.
A possible return this month already was ruled out; however, Polanco is now likely to miss all of spring training and could be out until mid-June, leaving the Pirates without their top run-producer for the start of the 2019 season.
"There’s a degree of disappointment," Clint Hurdle told reporters Friday at Miller Park. "There’s a degree of angst; however, at the end of the day, he needs to feel what he needs to feel, and there will be a time he says, ‘OK, now it’s time to go back to work.’ And Gregory will go back to work. He’ll have the support of his family, he’ll have the support of the organization, he’ll have the support of a lot of people. He’s a man who’s always been self-motivated and focused. It’s just what’s next for him right now. It can be unfortunate; however, that part is already over. The unfortunate part is over. The injury is over. Now is the healing, the rehab and the strengthening. Then the getting ready to play, whenever that is. We’ll look forward to that."
Polanco, who turned 27 on Friday, posted career highs in home runs (23), on-base percentage (.340), slugging percentage (.499) and walks (61) in 130 games this season, despite batting under the Mendoza Line for two months. The injury occurred when Polanco drove a ball into the gap for his 32nd double of the season, only three off his career high, but got his left cleat stuck in the dirt when attempting the slide into second.
Polanco fell into a two-month-long slump when he batted .187 with 16 RBIs and 45 strikeouts in 46 games from April 13 through June 12. That had him on the outside of a four-man outfield rotation that included Austin Meadows and led the coaching staff to recommend he move a few inches off the plate to help him make contact with inside fastballs.
He batted .296 with 14 doubles, 15 home runs, 49 RBIs and a .951 OPS in 70 games since making the change June 13. That put him in the team lead with 81 RBIs, only five off his career high. That rejuvenation came after Polanco missed 40 games last year because of three stints on the disabled list as the result of a lingering hamstring injury.
As a result, the Pirates' offense finished among the worst in the National League last year in several offensive categories, despite Andrew McCutchen and Josh Bell driving in a combined 178 runs. Polanco reported to spring training leaner than he was a year earlier after an offseason dedicated to strengthening his lower body.
That helped him lead the majors in RBIs through the first two weeks of the season and kept him off the disabled list until his ugly slide against the Reds. The Pirates were expected to return their starting outfield for opening day next March — Polanco, Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson — but the absence of their right fielder could thrust another young player into a prominent role.
Although Neal Huntington could pursue external options, it's more likely Jordan Luplow will be given an opportunity to win the job out of spring training. The former third-round pick went 3 for 4 with two runs in a win over the Cardinals on Wednesday, but he has batted .217/.292/.406 in 138 career at-bats in the majors.
Luplow will start in right field and bat third Friday night with left-hander Gio Gonzalez on the mound, though the news of Polanco's timetable to return has not changed the Pirates' plan for September, Hurdle said. He always intended to give Luplow at-bats, while Adam Frazier will also play right field whenever Kevin Kramer needs time at second base. Pablo Reyes, starting in place of Corey Dickerson in left field Friday night, could also see time there.
"Once he was hurt and taken off the field, there’d be no coming back," Hurdle said of Polanco. "You’re going to see Frazier out there when we want Frazier and Kramer in the lineup because there’s only one can play second base. Luplow is going to be the beneficiary of the most time out there. Reyes might find his way out there. Outside of that, there’s really no one else to look at from my perspective."