Pirates' David Bednar: Progressing, but timeline unknown
Rotowire
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Bednar is making progress in his recovery from a left oblique strain, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Though Cherington struck an optimistic tone about Bednar's health, the two-time All-Star doesn't appear to have a concrete timeline to return from the 15-day injured list. Bednar is first eligible for activation next weekend, but since he has yet to resume throwing since landing on the shelf, he wouldn't appear on track for a return in the minimum amount of time.
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Pirates' Ke'Bryan Hayes: Checking out of starting nine
Rotowire
Hayes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Jared Triolo will step in at third base while Hayes takes a seat for the series finale in Atlanta. Hayes had started in each of Pittsburgh's last three games, going 4-for-12 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and a run.
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Pirates' Yasmani Grandal: Receiving rest day
Rotowire
Grandal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
After starting behind the plate in five of the past six games, Grandal will get a breather in the series finale in Atlanta. The Pirates brought back Joey Bart (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday and will put him to work right away, as he'll fill in at catcher while Grandal rests.
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Pirates' Jason Delay: Heading back to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Pirates optioned Delay to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.
Delay will head back to the minors as the Pirates clear room on the 26-man active roster for fellow catcher Joey Bart (thumb), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. During his two-week stay with the Pirates, Delay went 3-for-12 with three doubles, two walks, five RBI and one run.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Returning from IL, starting Sunday
Rotowire
The Pirates reinstated Bart (thumb) from the 10-day injured list Sunday. He'll start at catcher and bat seventh in the Pirates' series finale in Atlanta.
Top backstop Yasmani Grandal will take a seat Sunday while the Pirates clear the way for Bart to play in his first game for the big club since May 26. Bart missed more than a month while recovering from a left thumb sprain but proved his health during a recent six-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis, going 6-for-17 with a double and three walks.
Skenes allowed one run on six hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over six innings in a no-decision against Atlanta on Saturday.
Skenes surrendered a leadoff homer to Jarred Kelenic on his third pitch of the game, but that was the only run the talented rookie allowed. The right-handed hurler matched opposing ace Max Fried with a six-inning, six-hit, one-run line, though Skenes was more dominant with 13 whiffs and nine punchouts. Skenes has gotten stronger as he's settled into life in the big leagues. He's tossed four straight quality starts, posting a minuscule 1.07 ERA along with a 32:4 K:BB over 25.1 innings during that span.
Suwinski isn't in the Pirates' lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.
With left-handed starter Max Fried set to toe the slab for Atlanta, Suwinski will remain in the dugout for the beginning of Saturday's contest. Michael Taylor will fill the void in center field, batting ninth.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: On bench against lefty
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Cruz isn't in the Pirates' lineup for Saturday's game versus Atlanta.
Cruz and his .351 OPS against left-handed pitchers will retreat to the dugout Saturday as the Pirates prepare to face southpaw Max Fried. Jared Triolo will fill in as Pittsburgh's shortstop and bat seventh.
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Pirates' Rowdy Tellez: Sitting against lefty
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Tellez isn't in the Pirates' lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.
With lefty Max Fried slated to take the hill for Atlanta, the lefty-hitting Tellez will step out of the lineup Saturday. Connor Joe will get the nod at first base and bat third.
Pirates' Martin Perez: Surrenders six runs in loss
Rotowire
Perez (1-4) took the loss Friday versus Atlanta, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks over four innings with four strikeouts.
The 33-year-old veteran looked rusty in his return from the injured list after leaving a May 26 start -- coincidentally, also against Atlanta -- with a groin injury. Perez managed to last 92 pitches and found the strike zone with only 39.1 percent of them, down significantly from his previous season average of 54.8 percent. The Pittsburgh southpaw's ERA now stands at 5.28 across 61.1 innings. He looks to bounce back in his next start, currently scheduled to come against the Cardinals at home.
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Pirates' Jake Lamb: Back in Pirates' system
Rotowire
The Pirates signed Lamb to a minor-league contract Friday and assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Lamb opted out of his minor-league contract with Pittsburgh on June 18 but rejoins the organization just 10 days later. He posted a .796 OPS in 234 plate appearances with Indianapolis before opting out.
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Pirates' Martin Perez: Officially activated
Rotowire
Perez (groin) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list and will start Friday's game against Atlanta.
Perez has been shelved since May 28 due to a strained left groin, and after making one rehab start he'll rejoin the big-league club. In his lone minor-league appearance, the southpaw threw 63 pitches, so he'll likely be on a pitch count Friday. Prior to the injury, Perez owned a 4.71 ERA across 57.1 innings with Pittsburgh.
Jones isn't listed among the Pirates' probable starting pitchers for this weekend's series in Atlanta, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Jones will thus go the entire week without making a start, much to the chagrin of fantasy managers in weekly leagues who chose to keep him active. Gorman notes that general manager Ben Cherington has previously said that while the Pirates don't intend to shut Jones or fellow rookie phenom Paul Skenes down at any point this season, both pitchers will have their respective workloads managed to some degree as the campaign unfolds. Jones isn't dealing with any sort of injury, so the Pirates appear to have simply chosen this week as an opportunity to build in more recovery for the right-hander, who has logged 86 innings through his first 15 big-league starts. Jones now appears to be in line to make his next start at some point during next week's series versus the Cardinals.
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Pirates' Martin Perez: Cleared to start Friday
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Perez (groin) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Friday in Atlanta, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The Pirates will push back Jared Jones' next turn through the rotation in order to make room for Perez, whose last outing before he landed on the IL in late May coincidentally came against Atlanta. Perez needed just one rehab start to convince the Pirates he was ready to rejoin the big club, as he allowed two runs (one earned) over five innings while tossing 65 pitches for Triple-A Indianapolis last weekend. Perez shouldn't face any major restrictions with his workload Friday.
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Pirates' Aroldis Chapman: Clean ninth inning
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Chapman struck out two without allowing a baserunner across a scoreless ninth inning against the Reds on Wednesday.
Chapman entered the game in the ninth inning with a five-run lead, marking his first appearance since Saturday. He struggled to begin the season but has pitched well for significant stretches, most recently allowing two earned runs across 8.2 innings in June while posting a 13:4 K:BB. Chapman should see most of Pittsburgh's save chances while David Bednar (oblique) is sidelined.
