Pirates Outfielder Returns From Injury Before Phillies Game
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of their outfielders returning to the team, just as they lost another one to injury.
The Pirates announced they reinstated outfielder Jake Mangum off the 10-day injured list on May 17, while placing right fielder/first baseman Ryan O'Hearn on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain.
Mangum will make his debut back from injury, as he starts in center field for the Pirates against the Philadelphia Phillies in the series finale at PNC Park, with Oneil Cruz serving as the designated hitter.
The Pirates will miss the services of O'Hearn, particularly in the lineup, but getting Mangum back has its positives as well.
What Mangum's Return Means for the Pirates
The Pirates lost Mangum to a left hamstring strain, which saw him miss the past nine games, starting with him getting scratched from the lineup vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series finale at Chase Field on May 7.
Mangum is a versatile outfield option for the Pirates, starting 10 games and playing in 22 contests in left field, twice in center field and four times in right field, appearing in 28 of the Pirates 34 games prior to his injury.
He's mostly served as the backup to the outfield trio of O'Hearn in right field, Cruz in center field and Reynolds in left field.
Mangum isn't going to smash balls or drive in a lot of runs, but he does make life difficult for opposing teams, laying down a bunt at different teams, beating out throws for an infield hit and being a pest on the basepaths.
O'Hearn's injury means that Mangum will get some more playing time and more starts in right field.
The Pirates also have utility man Jared Triolo starting in right field for his second straight game and have both utility man Nick Yorke and outfielder Billy Cook as options off the bench.
Pirates Lineup vs. the Phillies
Player | Position | Batting Side |
|---|---|---|
Oneil Cruz | Designated Hitter | Left |
Brandon Lowe | Second Baseman | Left |
Bryan Reynolds | Left Field | Switch |
Nick Gonzales | Third Baseman | Right |
Spencer Horwitz | First Baseman | Left |
Konnor Griffin | Shortstop | Right |
Jake Mangum | Center Field | Switch |
Jared Triolo | Right Field | Right |
Henry Davis | Catcher | Right |
Mangum will serve as the starting center fielder for just the third time and will bat seventh. He has Triolo in right field and batting eighth, marking his second start in the position in his professional career, while Reynolds will start in left field to complete the Pirates outfield.
The Pirates will have a regular infield, with second baseman Brandon Lowe, shortstop Konnor Griffin, first baseman Spencer Horwitz and Nick Gonzales at third base.
Pittsburgh did changeup the batting order, with left-handed hitting Lowe back at second and right-handed hitting Griffin back in sixth, as they are facing right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler, rather than left-handed Cristopher Sánchez that they did last game.
Henry Davis is still in at catcher and will bat ninth, as he works with Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes, who will duel with Wheeler throughout this one.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.