• I may be reading too much between the lines here, but I don’t expect Jung-ho Kang to be playable in mixed leagues because of a lack of playing time when he returns. The Pirates have said that he won’t play more than two days in a row. Also, I think there is a decent chance he gets sent to the minors to continue his progress. Here are the quotes which I make my stance on.
Saturday is the final day of Kang’s 20-day rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates essentially have three options. They could choose to activate him and add him to their roster this weekend in St. Louis. They could pause his rehab assignment and resume it shortly afterward, resetting that 20-day clock. Or they could activate him and option him to Triple-A to get more playing time.
The Bucs are mulling over those options, head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday, but they remain encouraged by the third baseman’s progress.
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In 13 games with Indianapolis, Kang has hit .150/.217/.225 with four walks and nine strikeouts. He’s taken 40 at-bats, nearly reaching the threshold of 45-60 that the Pirates set for their players in Spring Training.
Over the past two weeks, Kang has played on back-to-back days before taking a partial day off to pinch-hit or come off the bench to play defense. General manager Neal Huntington recently said Kang likely will continue on that schedule when he returns to Pittsburgh.
• Devin Mesoraco is going to be out for a while with a torn shoulder labrum.
After he missed most of last season with a hip injury, Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco is now facing the specter of losing most of 2016, too. On Monday, Mesoraco was placed on the 15-day disabled list with another serious injury — a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
Surgery is a possibility, which would mean Mesoraco would miss the rest of the season.
I would expect nothing from him this season even if he comes back. I would begin now looking for other options at catcher if you rostered him.
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