Pirates Slugger Making Good Progress During Injury Rehab
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have missed a key part of their lineup over the past week, but they may have him return sooner than they thought.
Pirates right fielder/first baseman Ryan O'Hearn is recovering from a right quad muscle strain, that put him on the 10-day injured list back on May 17 and he has missed the past eight games for the team.
O'Hearn took batting practice back at Rogers Centre on May 23, ahead of the Pirates 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, while also engaging in light baseball activities, plyometrics and running.
Hannah Mears of SportsNet Pittsburgh spoke with Pirates head athletic trainer Luke Novosel, who said that, "they were pleased with how things were going."
O'Hearn didn't do rehab ahead of the series finale on May 24, but did do so back in Pittsburgh for the series opener vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 25 and will be with the team during this homestand.
When Pirates Expect O'Hearn to Return
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said whenever O'Hearn went on the injured list that this could keep him out for about four weeks, which is now three weeks at this point.
Cherington said that the injury was "moderate" for O'Hearn and in his recent update on the Pirates Insider Show on May 24, that O'Hearn definitely could come back earlier than expected.
“Yeah I think we’ll get a better update when we get back home. It’s obviously encouraging to see him ramp up the activity yesterday," Cherington said. "If there’s a player who is going to beat a timeline forecast, it’s probably Ryan O’Hearn or he’s certainly one of them that could do that, but I don’t want to put the card ahead of the horse. I think we’ll get a better update when we get back home.
“We do miss him," Cherington said. "Just the professionalism of the at-bats, the quality at-bats. He’s still leading in the clubhouse, he’s obviously with the team, you see him on the bench talking, but there’s no doubt we miss the consistency of the at-bats and that leadership in the middle of the lineup.”
How Pirates Have Adjusted Without O'Hearn
As Cherington mentioned, the Pirates don't really have a replacement for what O'Hearn can do in the lineup.
O'Hearn slashed .289/.368/.459 for an OPS of .827 in 44 games and the Pirates didn't have anyone off the bench that could do that.
The Pirates instead went to Triple-A Indianapolis and brought up both Jhostynxon Garcia for his team debut and Esmerlyn Valdez for his MLB debut.
Garcia joined the Pirates for the series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, May 19-21, making one start in right field, while Valdez started all three games vs. the Blue Jays in right field.
The Pirates have also used utility man Jared Triolo in his position, Jake Mangum stared the final two games vs. the Cardinals in right field and Bryan Reynolds started the series opener vs. the Cubs there.
It's not exactly what the Pirates envisioned, but they have many different options to fill O'Hearn's role and they're looking for someone to step up and take that opportunity before he returns.
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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.