Pirates reliever Blake Cederlind to visit doctor who performed surgery on right elbow

Blake Cederlind is scheduled to see the doctor who performed Tommy John surgery on the Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed reliever to check on the recurrent pain in his right elbow.

Asked if Cederlind’s visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache – who performed surgery on retired Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s right elbow in 2020 – is a sign that a second Tommy John surgery will be required, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomcyzk was straightforward.

“Not at this juncture,” Tomczyk said.

Two other Pirates right-handed relievers, Chase De Jong and Nick Mears, are making progress in their recoveries.

De Jong is “healing well” from left knee tendinitis, Tomczyk said, will throw a live batting practice in the coming days and is expected to spend the minimum time on the 15-day injured list. De Jong is eligible to return on Monday.

Mears, who underwent right elbow surgery, tossed a scoreless inning at Low-A Bradenton on Tuesday and had his rehabilitation assignment transferred to Triple-A Indianapolis. Tomcyzk said Mears’ outings “have gone as expected” and his “tissue response has been normal.”

Outfielder Jake Marisnick (right great toe sprain) will remain in a walking boot for another week.

Two players who suffered season-ending injuries are starting to make progress. Catcher Roberto Perez, who underwent surgery on his left hamstring, has started to do “ground-based conditioning.” Outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba, who has a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist, is showing signs of healing but hasn’t gripped a bat yet.

In the minors, 2020 first-round pick Nick Gonzales is recovering from plantar fasciitis at Pirate City and is making “really nice strides” and projected to participate in game activity in the next seven to 10 days, Tomczyk said.

Doube-A catcher Henry Davis, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick out with a non-displaced fracture of the ulnar styloid in his left wrist, is still recovering but “a little bit slower than Nick,” Tomczyk said.

Low-A right-hander Brennan Malone, who was acquired from Arizona in the Starling Marte trade, continues to have “recurrent shoulder pain,” Tomczyk said. Malone visited team doctors in Pittsburgh but returned to Florida while the Pirates put together a recovery plan.

Indianapolis infielder Ji-hwan Bae was added to the minor league 7-day injured list Thursday with a strained left oblique.