Pirates place All-Star closer David Bednar on IL, cut ties with 1B Yoshi Tsutsugo
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David Bednar’s lower back has been bothering him, but aside from missing a series at Washington in late June, it didn’t stop the Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star closer from pitching.
Finally, the Pirates medical team did.
The Pirates placed Bednar (3-4, 2.70 ERA), who has 17 saves and a team-best 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with low back inflammation. It was one of several roster moves the club made a day after the trade deadline passed.
“We’ve got to get him a chance to settle down a little bit. It just got to the point that we felt it was best to give him some rest,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Obviously, David wants to pitch and wants the ball. We have to be smart moving forward with that.”
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk declined to specify the nature of the injury or a specific timeframe for his return but said Bednar wanted to continue to pitch. Ultimately, the team’s medical staff decided it was “best for him to unplug, get him off his feet and allow the inflammation to resolve.”
“Most importantly, David’s in a good head space, and he’s going to cheer his teammates on and become the biggest Pirates fan right now,” Tomczyk said. “At the same time, he’s frustrated. He wants to be out there. That’s what we’re going to help him get back out there and do.”
To replace Bednar in the bullpen, the Pirates recalled right-handed reliever Yohan Ramirez from Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates acquired Ramirez from Cleveland on July 8 for cash considerations. He was 2-3 with a 3.99 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 49 major-league appearances for Seattle and Cleveland.
The Pirates also designated first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo for assignment and recalled infielder/outfielder Tucupita Marcano from Indianapolis. After hitting eight home runs and driving in 25 runs in 43 games last season and signing a one-year, $4 million free-agent contract, Tsutsugo was a major disappointment this season. He was bothered by a back injury and hit .171 (29 for 170) with two homers and 19 RBIs in 50 games.
The Pirates replaced Tsutsugo in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers with rookie Bligh Madris, an outfielder who hasn’t played first base since his sophomore year of college.
“I think that we felt it was time that we were going to start giving opportunities to other people,” Shelton said. “Marcano has been playing really well. It was just the time that we felt we were going to move on.”
It’s the third stint with the Pirates this season for Marcano, who was slashing .362/.433/.500 with five doubles, one home run and five RBIs at Indianapolis in 14 games in July. He started in left field against the Brewers.
“I woke up this morning feeling like something good was about to happen,” Marcano said. “And then I received a phone call from ‘Miggy’ (Indianapolis manager Miguel Perez), giving me the good news. I’m very happy to be here again.
“Every call-up is filled with opportunities. I’ve always seen it as an opportunity for me to demonstrate what I can do, not only for myself but especially for the team to help the team get wins. That’s my mindset coming up here, just doing everything I can to be able to help the team win.”
Note: Tomczyk said right-handed reliever Blake Cederlind visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the orthopedic surgeon who performed Tommy John surgery on him 16 months ago, and underwent “minor” arthroscopic surgery to clean out debris causing pain in his right elbow. Tomczyk said Dr. ElAttrache stressed that the ligament remains “pristine,” but Cederlind won’t throw for six weeks while recovering.