Pirates' Anthony Alford: Limited with throwing

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Alford (elbow) no longer has any restrictions when hitting, but the outfielder is still limited with his throwing, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Alford is on the mend from September surgery to address a fractured right elbow. The Pirates were anticipating that he would be a full participant for spring training, but Alford apparently needs more time to build up in his throwing program. Pittsburgh could still allow Alford to participate in Grapefruit League games as a designated hitter until the coaching staff is confident in his ability to play the outfield.