Tag: Dejan Kovacevic

Dejan reported this eveningthat pitching prospect and 2009 draftee Jeffrey Inman "has been slowed by elbow discomfort." I don't think that his mysterious absence from game action had been previously explained.

As expected, the Pirates will promote Triple-A catcher Erik Kratz in time for Friday's game against the Astros. Chris Jakubauskas will likely be moved to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Kratz on the 40-man roster.

Immediately following his start Wednesday night, Daniel McCutchen was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. The move opens a roster spot for newly acquired Sean Gallagher.

In today’s Q&A at the PBC Blog, Dejan Kovacevic discussed the idea of converting Evan Meek to a starting pitcher. When I first read Dejan’s feature article on Meek a couple weeks ago, I had the same thought. "I wonder if Meek could become a starting pitcher. Maybe he could be the type of diamond in the rough that the Pirates desperately need." So I started digging.

Dejan Kovacevic reports that the Pirates have signed six international players, pitchers Cristian Henriquez, Yunior Montero and Melvin Rosario, outfielders Miguel De Aza and Yunior Valdez, and shortstop Rodney Polonia. See link for brief scouting reports on each player.

Pirates reliever Evan Meek was named to his first All-Star game today. Meek's 0.98 ERA is the best in baseball among pitchers with 40+ innings.

Pirates prospect Starling Marte will begin a rehab assignment this weekend with the organization's Gulf Coast League affiliate in Bradenton. He should return to High-A Bradenton in about a week. Marte has been out since May after undergoing surgery for a broken hamate bone.

Tony Sanchez will have surgery to repair two fractures in his jaw. He will be out indefinitely, and is expected to miss much of the season.

The Pirates have placed Zach Duke on the 15-day disabled list with "a strained flexor pronator muscle in the left elbow," retroactive to June 17th. He is expected to miss two additional starts. The Pirates have not yet determined a replacement for Duke's start on Saturday.

UPDATE (6/22/2010, 9:20 PM): Dejan reports that Holt's MCL is sprained but his meniscus is torn. He will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.