Pirates activate Gregory Polanco in time to serve as designated hitter for home opener
The Pittsburgh Pirates activated Gregory Polanco from the injured list, and he will bat seventh and serve as designated hitter for their home opener Monday night against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park.
Polanco was cleared this past weekend after testing positive for covid-19, one of five Pirates players to test positive, and took batting practice hours before first pitch.
The Pirates have started three players in right field in as many games in his absence, using Guillermo Heredia, Cole Tucker and Jose Osuna there in the opening weekend three-game series at St. Louis. Osuna is set to make his second consecutive start in right.
To make room for Polanco on the 30-man roster, the Pirates sent outfielder Jason Martin back to the alternate training camp in Altoona.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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