Pittsburgh Pirates Place Pair of Impact Players on Injured List

The Pittsburgh Pirates are certainly limping to the finish line here at the end of the first half of the season.

The Pirates, who were one of the best stories in baseball through April and May, have fallen to 40-48 on the year and are now 8.5 games back in the National League Central.

They lost again on Friday to the Arizona Diamondbacks and have lost three straight, but the Pirates fortunes were even worse before the game as they placed a pair of key contributors on the injured list.

Both Andrew McCutchen (elbow) and Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) were placed on the injured list and will be unavailable until after the All-Star break.

The following update on McCutchen comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Pittsburgh placed McCutchen on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to July 6, with right elbow discomfort.

ANALYSIS
McCutchen missed a few games in late June due to right elbow soreness and it seems to have carried over into July, as he'd gone 0-for-17 with two walks and six strikeouts over his last four games. The veteran is eligible to return July 16 -- the Sunday after the All-Star break -- and could be an important trade chip for the Pirates if he's able to carry a clean bill of health into the August 1 trade deadline.

McCutchen is hitting .268 this season with 10 homers, 28 RBI and nine stolen bases. The former MVP has enjoyed a nice reunion year in Pittsburgh after spending the last few years with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies and Brewers. He had previously starred for the Pirates from 2009-2017.

As for Hayes, he had just come back from the injured list with a lower back issue, so he's evidently still feeling it. The 26-year-old is hitting .252 with five homers and 32 RBI to go along with nine steals.

The Pirates play the Diamondbacks again on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET.

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