Pirates injury updates: Erik Gonzalez ‘making tremendous progress,’ could play games soon

Erik Gonzalez was eligible to come off the 60-day injured list Wednesday. While that didn’t happen, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day shortstop is much closer to being activated than many people thought he would be at this point.

Gonzalez has been out since suffering a clavicle fracture in a collision with Starling Marte on April 19 and undergoing surgery about two weeks later. But he’s been “making tremendous progress,” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday.

Really hoping Erik Gonzalez & Starling Marte are ok. This was nasty. pic.twitter.com/GWzVFnxAa8

— Chase Williams WPXI (@chasepwilliams) April 20, 2019

Gonzalez has been drilling baseball activities of all types in recent days.

“He is getting close for us to have a conversation about re-engaging him back into game activities,” Tomczyk said.

Acquired via trade from the Cleveland Indians over the offseason, Gonzalez was expected to take over for Jordy Mercer at shortstop.

Other updates from Tomcyzk’s weekly meeting with the media Wednesday:

• Jameson Taillon has re-joined the team after spending the early stages of his rehab at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. Taillon still is experiencing symptoms associated with the strain of his elbow flexor tendon, but he is “in the advanced stages of one-arm plyometrics. We are prepping the arm for throwing,” Tomczyk said. The earliest Taillon could be cleared to throw is in 10-14 days, according to Tomczyk.
• Reliever Keone Kela (shoulder inflammation) “has made very nice progress” in Florida and has progressed to throwing from 90 feet on consecutive days.
• Tomczyk said reliever Nick Burdi still has intermittent bicep/elbow pain but is “progressing OK” while he’s been throwing off flat ground. The physicians monitoring him are encouraging Burdi to keep throwing.
  

  Video of the Nick Burdi injury pic.twitter.com/GFxnDL3rO7

  — zach (@zachleft) April 23, 2019

• Reliever Edgar Santana (Tommy John surgery) is keeping up his rehab on his own while spending some time away from the Pirates to be at home in the Dominican Republic with his wife and newborn child.
• Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall (calf strain) is away from the team and is seeking another medical opinion, planning to see the physician who treated him for a calf injury last season while he was with the Indians.
• After throwing three innings during a Triple-A rehab start Sunday, Rookie Davis (middle finger blister) had a successful bullpen session Tuesday and will make another rehab start soon.
• A week out from suffering a dislocated and fractured left index finger, top prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes has been cleared to resume workout activity. “He’s progressing nicely,” Tomczyk said.
• Pitching prospect JT Brubaker made a rehab appearance for short-season West Virginia on Tuesday. “I anticipate him throwing another rehab game (of 4-5 innings) and (then) re-join the (Triple-A) club,” Tomczyk said.

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