JULY 8: Harrison has a torn UCL in his left thumb and is expected to miss seven weeks after surgery, Pittsburgh announced.
JULY 6, 2:51pm: Harrison says he’ll receive a second opinion once the swelling in his hand goes down, but for the time being, there’s no specific diagnosis or timeline on his recovery, per MLB.com’s Adam Berry (on Twitter).
2:36pm: Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison will miss the next six weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter links). Harrison injured his thumb while sliding into second base on Sunday, according to Biertempfel.
Harrison will be placed on the disabled list to accommodate the club’s roster claim of Travis Ishikawa, the Pirates announced. The loss of Harrison likely means that the Pirates’ infield alignment will feature Jung Ho Kang at third base and Jordy Mercer at shortstop for the foreseeable future. Harrison will also no longer be an option to spell Gregory Polanco in right field against left-handed pitching, as he’s done on occasion this season.
The 27-year-old Harrison signed a four-year extension with the Pirates this offseason and got off to a slow start in the wake of that deal. However, he’s turned it on since the beginning of May, batting .302/.335/.391 in that time with a pair of homers and nine steals. Most of his defensive work this season has come at the hot corner, where Ultimate Zone Rating and Defensive Runs Saved peg him at slightly below average to average, although he grades out as a plus defender there over the course of his entire career.
Harrison’s loss makes the club’s offseason acquisition of Kang that much more crucial, as Kang’s versatility will soften the blow of losing Harrison’s productivity for the next month and a half.
Huge blow for the Pirates. Even more reason to go get Ben Zobrist now!
With regular at bats Kang might turn into a good option at 3rd.. The Pirates being willing to roll the dice and pay roughly $4 million a year (contract plus posting fee) has turned out decently for them seeing as how his OPS+ is 95.. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns it up a notch and produces a bit better being an everyday starter.. The Pirates don’t need to pay out the prospects that it will take to bring Zobrist over seeing as how Harrison will only be out 6 weeks.. The A’s sent Daniel Robertson to the Rays for him and they are going to want someone with as much value in return.. The Pirates need someone as a defensive replacement whose value is very low right now.. Stephen Drew comes to mind.. They could probably get him for a basket of balls and a case of Gatorade from the Yankees and I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds his swing again with a change of scenery ala AJ Burnett..
Even is Kang does step his game up, there’s still a potential hole in the outfield. Polanco has struggled especially against LHP. And Marte is banged up. Zobrist can be used in the OF, spell Walker at 2B, and serve as a backup SS to Mercer.
Thats a great idea
I like the concept, but I’m very wary of the price tag.
Not sure the Pirates have enough to beat out that Mets “overpay” for Zorilla being bandied about on this site a couple days ago.
Eh, Kang for Harrison is basically a wash. The only net loss here is as mentioned the fact they have nobody to spell Polanco except horrible non-options like Gorkys or Lombardazzi. With S-Rod around as decent IF backup they really don’t need to worry about adding another infielder. Their shopping list remains what it’s been – an upgrade at RF, a 1B that can hit lefties and maybe another reliever.