The Pirates recent hot streak has been produced without its best player. But Wednesday’s update should provide some optimism that Ke’Bryan Hayes shouldn’t be out of the mix too much longer.
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomcyzk said before Wednesday's game against the Royals that the wrist and hand experts that examined Hayes last Friday saw no new injuries in the left wrist that’s kept the 24-year-old out since the second game of the season.
“Very positive news the outcome of the exam and subsequent diagnostics,” Tomcyzk said. “Once we get the confidence back in Ke'Bryan, he will be a Pittsbugh Pirate and contributing to the winning team.”
Alex Stumpf reported Tuesday that Hayes will be able to start swinging a bat sometime soon. Hayes was nearly set to return to the Pirates during last week’s road trip. But he aggravated the injury on an awkward swing in a Comerica Park batting cage last Wednesday after two snow cancellations washed out his chances of playing a rehab game with the alternate site team in Toledo.
Hayes stretched out with the team and was left with the decision himself about whether he’d be ready to start playing catch or field grounders. Tomcyzk insisted that the pain from the latest aggravation came after that one specific, awkward swing, and not a fielding issue.
“It was a pitch and a location that he had to angle the bat in such a way that he hyperextended the hand and the wrist,” Tomcyzk said. “Not a swing that he commonly takes. It's rare, but it's one that I think we all can attest to that these guys have to be adjusted and adapted to all kinds of different angles, and all kinds of different swings. That specific angle right now, it didn't feel good.”
The Pirates maintained that they’re going to take things day-to-day with Hayes, but they’re still not willing to say they’re in the same place with Hayes as they were, say, in the first week of April. This latest shred of positive news means that they’re probably days and not weeks away from the next step forward.
“We're not going to do the exact same things that we did before, but there will be some gradual progression into full baseball activities,” Tomcyzk said.
Hayes’ return would only deepen what’s become an already potent top of the lineup. Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds are batting .295 and .293, respectively, and Colin Moran, who is batting .289, is tied with Arizona’s David Peralta for the most RBIs as a cleanup hitter with 16.
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• Opening day starter Chad Kuhl started playing catch again. He’ll be worked up until he’s ready to start throwing from 120-foot distances. If that goes well, the next step will be for Kuhl to throw a side session and, eventually, live batting practice.
“That's kind of a robust global timeframe. But to put specific dates on it, we're not there yet,” Tomcyzk said.
Kuhl was 0-1 with a 6.32 ERA over his first four starts before being sidelined. The Pirates have used a patchwork of rookies in Miguel Yajure and Wil Crowe to cover his spot in the rotation. He won’t be eligible to be activated off the 10-day IL until Monday.
• Steven Brault continued making progress in his rehab from a lat strain. He’s added light strength training exercises to his work in Bradenton but still isn’t at a point in which he’s throwing a baseball.
“We'll have a short period of time [with] the strength and conditioning exercises, then we'll advance to some of what we call plyometric-type, throwing-like activities,” Tomcyzk said. “And once that is completed, and the arm responds well to that, then we'll put a baseball in his hand, and it's off to the races after that.”
Brault was given a 10-12 week timeline for return after suffering the injury during spring training.
• Michael Feliz threw live batting practice Wednesday for the first time since going down with a cracked fingernail on the middle finger of his throwing hand. Tomcyzk said the early indications were that there were no further setbacks. Finally, Austin Davis and Jose Soriano, both of whom are on the 60-day IL, continued their simulated game progressions without any new issues.
