After missing 10 games with a right oblique strain, center fielder Bryan Reynolds expects to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates for their two-game series at the Chicago Cubs.
“Nobody wants to not play, so I’m ready to get out there,” Reynolds said Sunday at PNC Park following a 6-5 loss to the Miami Marlins in 10 innings. “It’s been long enough.”
The timing couldn’t be better for the Pirates, who traded designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to the New York Mets on Friday and are lacking a middle-of-the-order presence in their lineup.
Reynolds was slashing .261/.343/.465 with 11 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs and 32 RBIs in 83 games, leading the Pirates in most major offensive categories after a slow start to the season.
But Reynolds was removed from the July 10 game at Milwaukee and placed on the 10-day injured list the next day. Reynolds said his right side was bothering him for “a couple series” prior to being pulled.
“I was just feeling it,” said Reynolds, who became eligible to come off the IL on Thursday. “It wasn’t getting better and I didn’t want to let it get to the point where I was out three months.”
Pirates manager Derek Shelton called it a precautionary move, hoping to avoid a long recovery. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk has said that oblique strains can typically require 28 to 35 days before returning to playing.
“We didn’t think it was something that was major. We thought it was something that’s minor,” Shelton said Friday. “But one thing we have learned with oblique injuries is something minor, when guys start to feel it and try to play through it, can turn into something more. Our hopes are we prevented that by being proactive on it instead of reactive.”
Reynolds has taken batting practice in the cage the past four days and was running the bases before Sunday’s game.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” Shelton said Friday. “This is something that we thought all along or we hoped all along was going to be minimalized if we got ahead of it. He had a good break, in terms of movement-wise, and was able to hit (Thursday). Hopefully, we’ll continue to take steps. I don’t think we have a firm, hard deadline, but, hopefully, it’s sooner than later.”
Reynolds is expecting it to be as soon as possible, though it will require a roster move. The Pirates have four outfielders on the active roster – Greg Allen, Ben Gamel, Jake Marisnick and rookie Cal Mitchell – with a potential fifth in rookie infielder Diego Castillo.
“He helps us win every day. He’s a valuable asset to our team,” Mitchell said. “We’re glad to have him back as fast as we can.”
