32 Elias Diaz C

Diaz did not practice Wednesday due to illness, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

There haven't been any suggestions that Diaz will miss significant time, so his status for Opening Day shouldn't be threatened. He's expected to back up Francisco Cervelli again this season.

Diaz will catch and bat cleanup Sunday against the Reds.

He's 4-for-12 with one homer and four RBI in his last three starts. Diaz also has three hits (including one double) in nine career at-bats against Sunday starter Sal Romano. The catcher is slashing .286/.338/.456 with 10 homers and 34 RBI in 272 plate appearances.

Diaz (hamstring) is back in the lineup Sunday against Milwaukee.

Diaz is set to make his first start since Aug. 31, though he was able to appear off the bench in two of the last four contests. He'll bat fourth and catch Sunday.

Diaz (hamstring) caught a bullpen session Saturday and could return to action as soon as this week, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Diaz has been out since late August due to hamstring discomfort, but it seems like he's finally turning a corner in his recovery process. With the expanded rosters in September, Diaz can return to the roster easily, but his playing time may not be plentiful with Francisco Cervelli handling starting duties while Jacob Stallings and Ryan Lavarnway also compete for playing time as backups. Diaz still seems like the clear No. 2, but with the Pirates' playoff chances becoming slimmer and slimmer, the team may not force the 27-year-old backstop to play too much after missing over two weeks of action.

Diaz (hamstring) has been cleared to resume running and he caught a few bullpen sessions Wednesday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Diaz is expected to test the hamstring on the bases this weekend in Milwaukee. There had been talk of Diaz possibly missing the rest of the season, but it looks like he has a good chance to return to his backup role before the end of the campaign.