25 Gregory Polanco RF

Polanco (shoulder) swung the bat off a tee Monday for the first time since dislocating his left shoulder in September, Rob Biertempfel of the Athletic reports.

"No way I'm out until June," said Polanco, who is attending the team's voluntary mini camp. While it's encouraging that the right fielder is feeling strong, it's important to note that he's still a long way from returning. We'll have a firmer timetable closer to spring training. Pittsburgh signed Lonnie Chisenhall in December to help bridge the gap while Polanco mends.

Polanco (shoulder) is on pace to begin a throwing program in January, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

General manager Neal Huntington noted last week that once Polanco resumes throwing again, the Pirates should have a better idea regarding a timeline for his return to game action. When Polanco underwent season-ending surgery on his left shoulder in mid-September, he was handed a rough timetable of 7-to-9 months, so it appears safe to pencil him in for a trip to the disabled list to begin 2019. Lonnie Chisenhall should be the leading candidate to fill in as the Pirates' primary right fielder while Polanco is sidelined, at least against right-handed pitching.

Polanco's recent surgery included a procedure to repair torn labrum cartilage, 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh reports.

Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk noted that Polanco tore his labrum as a result of acute shoulder dislocation. "He's doing as expected and has a very long journey ahead of him, he's still in the very early states of this rehab process," Tomczyk said. Polanco is expected to miss between 7-to-9 months, but this disclosure could push the recovery time toward the high end.

Polanco underwent successful shoulder surgery Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Polanco went under the knife after a second opinion revealed his dislocated left shoulder would require surgery to stabilize. The shoulder injury was one of two season-ending injuries Polanco sustained sliding into second base last week, along with a deep bone bruise in his left knee. The Pirates have yet to provide a potential recovery timeline for the outfielder, though the club previously announced Polanco would need six-to-eight weeks to recover from his knee injury.

Polanco (knee) is set to undergo surgery on his dislocated shoulder Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Initially, the Pirates believed that Polanco wouldn't require any sort of procedure after suffering shoulder and knee injuries during Friday's game against the Marlins. Following the diagnosis of a deep bone bruise on his left knee, the club announced that he would be sidelined for the rest of the season. More recently, a second opinion on his shoulder from Dr. David Altchek revealed that surgery was necessary to stabilize the shoulder. The Pirates won't provide an estimated recovery timetable until after the procedure has been completed.