Gregory Polanco close to returning, but arm strength will be an immediate issue
Gregory Polanco is making good progress from shoulder surgery and could come off the injury list during the current homestand, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
But the initial velocity on Polanco’s throws will be compromised, according to general manager Neal Huntington.
“Teams are probably going to challenge him and we’re going to have to make plays and if we make the plays, they won’t challenge him anymore,” Huntington said.
Polanco underwent surgery Sept. 12 to repair his labrum and regain stabilization of his left throwing shoulder, a procedure that sometimes requires up to year of recovery time.
“He’s been hitting aggressively and competitively really since late spring training,” Huntington said. Polanco had six hits and five RBI in his first 20 at-bats during an ongoing rehab assignment in Triple-A Indianapolis.
But Huntington warned that’s against minor-league pitchers.
“How does he adjust to the speed of major-league pitching? Time will tell,” the general manager said. “The biggest area of the game you’ll notice is just the velocity on the throws. He’s going to have to make throws. There’s no question about that and that’s still the biggest question.
“It’s going to be evident he’s not the arm-strength Gregory Polanco that we remember. But he’s getting to the ball quicker, he’s getting the ball underway more quickly. So, he can mitigate some of the loss of pure arm strength.
“He’s certainly not going to be the worst throwing outfielder in baseball, but he’s not going to be the Gregory Polanco we’ve seen.
“We anticipate that over time Gregory will get velocity back. We may even have a better throwing right fielder at some point in time because he understands the value of getting to the ball and getting it underway accurately, quickly.”
Polanco is one of 10 Pirates on the injured list, but Huntington said infielder Kevin Newman (middle finger laceration) “is getting healthy” and is close to a rehab assignment.
What would Newman’s return mean to Cole Tucker, who homered in his MLB debut Saturday and doubled and scored Sunday?
Huntington had no definitive answer on Tucker’s immediate future and that of center fielder Bryan Reynolds, who has replaced Starling Marte (abdominal wall and rib contusion).
“There’s a chance neither guy goes back to the minor leagues,” Huntington said. “There’s a chance both of them go back at some point, maybe sooner than later or not. We’ll see how this plays out.”
Huntington said he expected Tucker and Reynolds to reach the majors at some point this season. But they have only 57 and 49 at-bats in Triple-A after spending last season in Double-A Altoona.
“It was definitely earlier than we would have drawn it up,” Huntington said. “We’ve talked about the readiness curve and we can argue both guys probably are just barely on the front edge of it.
“But they have the traits. Time will still tell if these were good decisions or not. Each level has its lessons to be learned. Now, they’re going to have to learn some lessons at the major-league level if they both stay up here. Sometimes, it’s harder to do that than it is at Triple-A.
“Their maturity, their intelligence, their presence, their feel, their confidence,” Huntington said. “We felt they were the right guys.”
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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