After missing the first month of the season recovering from shoulder surgery, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco is now headed back to the injured list with renewed issues in surgically-repaired shoulder.
On Saturday, Pittsburgh placed its young outfielder on the 10-day injured list with posterior left shoulder inflammation.
The 27-year-old hasn’t played since June 16 and hasn’t hit a home run since June 6. Given his struggles in his return from surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder, the Pirates opted to give him more time to rehabilitate his shoulder and potentially rediscover his form.
Polanco slashed .242/.301/.425 with a .726 OPS and six home runs in 153 at-bats this season. Before injuring his shoulder on a slide in September last season, Polanco was finishing off a career season with a .839 OPS, .340 OBP and 23 home runs.
Pittsburgh’s outfield is already stable with Melky Cabrera, Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte all providing steady production. However, the Pirates could potentially explore a deal in July to create a spot for Polanco if he is fully healthy.