Pirates add JT Brubaker and Duane Underwood Jr. to injured list

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their almost-daily tweaks to the roster Sunday, swapping out a pair of right-handers for a different duo of righties.

JT Brubaker and Duane Underwood Jr. each were placed on the 10-day injured list because of right shoulder inflammation. Brubaker leads the Pirates in innings pitched (124 1/3) and Underwood has thrown the most innings among Pirates relievers (72 2/3).

Each left Saturday’s 7-6 loss at the Chicago Cubs in the middle of an at-bat, complaining of shoulder discomfort.

“All signs certainly suggest that there are things both these guys will recover from,” general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday during his weekly KDKA-FM radio show. “It’s just a matter of how long it takes.”

During the radio show, Cherington reiterated his long-held preference that the Pirates avoid “shutting down” pitchers before the season ends. The Pirates, like most teams in this first season back after the 2020 coronavirus-affected shortened season, have been upfront about wanting to limit pitchers’ innings.

Taking the open roster spots are Kyle Keller and Shea Spitzbarth, who were recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. Keller had been optioned to Indy on Saturday to make room for Brubaker’s activation off the IL. Spitzbarth appeared in three games for the Pirates last month, his first three as a major-leaguer.

The Pirates have had at least one transaction on six of the past seven days. Current MLB rules for September feature 28-man rosters.

Hayes returns

After a weeklong absence because of a hand injury, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes was back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. For the first time in his major-league career, Hayes hit in the leadoff spot.

Cherington said the Pirates felt comfortable by Friday that Hayes was going to be able to return by the end of the weekend, and that prevented the team from making a move to put him on the IL.

Hayes suffered the injury when he slammed a bat out of frustration during the Aug. 29 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Manager Derek Shelton had previously said Hayes was contrite and accepted accountability for the situation, and Cherington concurred.

“There’s a care level (in Hayes) that will manifests itself in a lot of really, really great ways,” Cherington said on KDKA-FM. “Every once in a while, it can manifest in way that can get the best of us and be counterproductive. But you don’t want to do anything that can diminish that care level.”

Week’s rotation

The Pirates announced that Bryse Wilson will start Monday and Mitch Keller on Wednesday during the upcoming home series against the Detroit Tigers. Tuesday, officially, is listed as “TBA.”

Cherington indicated that Dillon Peters will take that spot if, as expected, he is medically cleared. Peters has been on the IL since Aug. 28 because of a lower back strain and is eligible to come off it Tuesday.

Cherington also said the Pirates might not replace Brubaker in the rotation. The Pirates have been using a six-man rotation in recent weeks, and they have two scheduled idle days over the next eight days — Thursday and Sept. 13.

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