Pirates Activate Francisco Cervelli From Disabled List

The Pittsburgh Pirates got a little healthier on Wednesday

One week after suffering a concussion, Francisco Cervelli has rejoined the Pittsburgh Pirates’ active roster. On the first day he was eligible to do so Cervelli was activated from the 7-day concussion disabled list. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, the Pirate optioned right-handed relief pitcher A.J. Schugel back to Triple-A.

On top of being activated from the disabled list, Francisco Cervelli will also return to the Pirate lineup on Wednesday night. The Pirate backstop will catch Chad Kuhl and bat 7th as the Bucs attempt to complete a series sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

This now gives the Pittsburgh Pirates a trio of catchers on their 25-man roster. On top of Cervelli, the Pirates are also carrying Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings. This will allow Clint Hurdle to use Diaz as a pinch-hitter, which is a great thing for the Pirates as Diaz has been hitting the cover off the ball (144 wRC+) since his recent promotion from Triple-A.

Prior to going on the disabled list, Francisco Cervelli owned a .343 on-base percentage, .323 wOBA, and a wRC+ of 100. He also had an fWAR of 0.6 in 47 games played.

After a slow start to the season, Cervelli was starting to get hot prior to going on the disabled list. Since the beginning of May, he owns a .396 on-base percentage, .347 wOBA, and an 116 wRC+ in 95 plate appearances. Hopefully, he can continue the strong play he had prior to getting concussed.

Next: Previewing Tonight's Game

As for A.J. Schugel, he returns to Triple-A without appearing in a game for the Pirates. He was just promoted this past Saturday and did not pitch at all. However, due to the success he had for the Pirates in 2016 it would not be a surprise to see him return to the Major League roster again at some point in 2017.