25 Gregory Polanco RF

Polanco is expected to see time at DH in addition to his right field duties, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

After undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery last summer, the Pirates may want to limit his playing time in the outfield. Polanco will be expected to produce offensively from the middle of Pittsburgh's lineup. Serving as an occasional DH should help to keep him healthy.

Polanco is off to a strong spring training start, batting .333 with four extra-base hits and a 6:6 BB:K in 18 at-bats.

The right fielder is the last holdover from Pittsburgh's playoff run from 2013 to 2015. He's shown no ill effects from the shoulder surgery which shut down his 2019 campaign. The 28-year-old is expected to bat fifth behind Josh Bell, but manager Derek Shelton has said that everyone could bounce around the order with the exception of Bryan Reynolds, who will bat second.

Polanco went 0-for-2 with a walk while serving as Pittsburgh's designated hitter Sunday.

Polanco showed little reservation running the bases, moving from first to third on a single with ease. Still, the true test will come when he plays right field and makes his first throw back to the cutoff man. Provided he passes that test, he could outproduce his projections after missing most of 2019 with shoulder issues.

Polanco (shoulder) will be limited to DH duty in the Pirates' first two spring games, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

The news doesn't necessarily contradict reports that Polanco is set for a healthy spring after battling shoulder injuries for much of last season, as there's nothing too unusual about a team being cautious with players coming off injuries. The outfielder hit a modest .242/.301/.425 in 42 games last season.

Polanco (shoulder) said that he is healthy after reporting to camp Saturday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

The right fielder returned ahead of schedule from shoulder surgery last season but admittedly hadn't fully recovered. His play lagged -- especially his throwing ability -- and he re-injured himself, leading to additional surgery. "That was probably not a good idea to play like that," Polanco said. "Obviously, I couldn't help the team the way I wanted to. I'm happy to be healthy (now), and that I can be me." The Grapefruit League will go a long way toward gauging Polanco's health. If he's recovered, then there's a decent chance he could return to his pre-injury production. The 28-year-old batted .254/.340/.499 with 23 homers and 12 stolen bases in 130 games in 2018.

Polanco (shoulder) is expected to face no restrictions when position players report to Pirates camp Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Sidelined to begin last season while recovering from left shoulder surgery, Polanco appeared in just 42 games before being shut down in late June after battling inflammation in the same shoulder. Polanco was cleared for a full throwing program over the winter and hasn't experienced any reported setbacks with the shoulder, so he looks to be in a good spot health-wise as he enters the upcoming season. Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk noted that Polanco's workload will likely be monitored in the spring as a precaution, but the 28-year-old should be ready to fill a full-time role in right field once Opening Day arrives.

Polanco (shoulder) has been throwing up to 120 feet without issues, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Polanco's 2019 campaign began with recovery from shoulder surgery and ended after 42 games due to persistent shoulder trouble. In between, he struggled to a .242/.301/.425 slash line. He's on track to have no restrictions heading into spring training, but it's far from guaranteed that his upcoming season will proceed smoothly. The Pirates expect to need to manage his shoulder throughout the year.

The Pirates are unsure as to whether Polanco (shoulder) will be healthy for the start of the 2020 campaign, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

General manager Neal Huntington said that additional surgery to his left shoulder remains a possibility. "As complicated as his first surgery was, the challenges that we've had coming back through that, we can't ever rule it out," Huntington noted. "They may need to try to get in there." The organization is expected to consider both internal and external options for right field during the offseason, given the uncertainty surrounding Polanco.

Polanco will receive a series of platelet-rich-plasma injections in his shoulder and miss the rest of the season, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

It was reported in late August that Polanco was unlikely to return this season, and the latest news confirms that will indeed be the case. Polanco was limited to a career-low 42 games in 2019, and finishes with six home runs, 17 RBI, and a .726 OPS. He has been limited by injuries three years running now; however, considering he's under contract through 2023, Polanco is presumably the favorite to start in right field for the Pirates next year, assuming he's healthy when Opening Day comes around.

The Pirates transferred Polanco (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, increasing the chances that he won't play again in 2019, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.

While Polanco could still technically return, manager Clint Hurdle sounded as if the outfielder won't be back. "He's tried to put every effort and energy into getting back, and I don't think that it's worked out as quickly as he'd like," Hurdle said of Polanco. "I know his focus was to finish, and I'm not even sure what date that puts him at. Does that take him off for...I think it wipes him out for the season." Hurdle added that he's looking for a healthy Polanco for the start of 2020 spring training. He made no mention of whether the 27-year-old would participate in the Dominican Winter League.

Polanco will test his injured list shoulder with "maximal effort" in the coming days to see if a rehab assignment is possible, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Polanco hasn't played for the Pirates since June 16 and was pulled off his minor-league rehab assignment in mid-July after suffering a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury. Depending on how the outfielder responds to the increased activity will likely determine if and when he returns this season.

Polanco (shoulder) has resumed hitting, throwing and running at the Pirates' spring training facility in Bradenton, Fla. and will continue to gradually build up his workload before playing in games, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Polanco hasn't seen action for the Pirates since June 16 and was pulled off his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis in mid-July after tweaking the shoulder. A regimen of rest and anti-inflammatory treatment has apparently worked well thus far for Polanco, leaving the possibility open that he'll return from the 10-day injured list this season, likely in September.

Polanco (shoulder) is expected to resume baseball activities in the next few days, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Polanco moved his rehab to the team's spring training facilities in Florida and is set to ease back into baseball activities following a brief shutdown period. How the outfielder responds to increased activities will likely dictate when he's cleared to head back out on a rehab assignment.

Polanco (shoulder) is making progress but has not begun a rehab assignment, general manager Neal Huntington told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.

"Gregory saw a doctor and is going through some rehabilitation and therapy to get that shoulder feeling better," Huntington said. "The comfort will dictate when he's able to play again in a rehab assignment. Gregory's going to take a little time." While the general manager remains optimistic that Polanco will play again in 2019, it doesn't sound like that timetable is within the next couple weeks.

The Pirates will shut down Polanco (shoulder) for the next 10 days before potentially clearing him to resume baseball activities, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Polanco has been on the shelf for just over a month after experiencing inflammation in his surgically repaired left shoulder. Since being pulled off his minor-league rehab assignment a week and a half ago after incurring a setback, Polanco hasn't shown much notable improvement, so he'll be subject to a no-throw program through next weekend before the Pirates reassess his status. If the additional rest proves helpful, Polanco believes he'll be able to return from the injured list at some point this season, though he noted that he doesn't want to play unless he's confident that he's 100 percent healthy, per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic.

Polanco's shoulder is strong and stable, but he will still begin a no-throw period of rest, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

This will be a course of anti-inflammatories for Polanco, and he will presumably have another check up with the doctor at the end of that period to see if he is able to advance to another phase of the rehab. He is without a timetable to return.

Polanco (shoulder) has traveled to New York to be evaluated by Dr. David Altcheck, the surgeon who performed his shoulder surgery in September of 2018, John Perrotto of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Polanco was returned from his rehab assignment a week ago, and the Pirates still haven't gotten to the bottom of the outfielder's shoulder discomfort. More information on Polanco's status should become available following his appointment with Dr. Altcheck.

Polanco's (shoulder) has been shut down after suffering a setback during his rehab assignment, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Polanco will head back to Pittsburgh for further evaluation after suffering a setback during his rehab outing with Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday. Team trainer Todd Tomczyk relayed that the outfielder's shoulder is "strong and stable," and the team is still working to "figure out the details of what's causing the soreness and the discomfort in the back of the shoulder," according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Polanco (shoulder) left his rehab outing Sunday with Triple-A Indianapolis due to shoulder tightness, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Polanco has been out since late June with inflammation in the same shoulder in which he had surgery back in September. He seemed to be closing in on a return to action before Sunday's setback. He'll rest Monday and be examined by doctors, at which point a new timeline could emerge.

Polanco (shoulder) went 0-for-1 with a walk before he was removed from Sunday's Triple-A game against Columbus.

There's been some speculation that the outfielder could join the Pirates on Monday, though there hasn't been any official word regarding his Sunday removal. The team hasn't announced any sort of injury, either. Polanco is 6-for-25 with a home run during his rehab stint. Pittsburgh's outfield remains crowded with four capable players, not including Polanco.