Pirates 3rd baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes 'relatively pain-free,' resumes baseball activities

Ke’Bryan Hayes is showing “very encouraging” signs of recovering from the low back inflammation that has kept the Pittsburgh Pirates Gold Glove third baseman on the injured list.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Hayes has resumed all baseball activities, taking ground balls and batting practice before Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park, and will be evaluated after running the bases Sunday.

“Assuming he comes out of that relatively pain-free, which he has been for a little bit, he’s going to sit down with Shelty and talk about the next steps,” Tomczyk said, referring to Pirates manager Derek Shelton.

Tomczyk said it’s an “ongoing discussion” whether Hayes will require a rehabilitation assignment before returning to playing for the Pirates. He was placed on the 10-day injured list May 1 and has missed 13 games.

“This has been a lingering issue for years,” Tomczyk said. “We’re hopeful this is the last hiccup for him and his back this year for quite some time. We’re optimistic. Whether or not that deems a rehab assignment is still evolving.”

In other Pirates injury news:

• Catcher Jason Delay (right knee) began a rehabilitation assignment Saturday at Low-A Bradenton. If all goes well, Delay is expected to transition to Triple-A Indianapolis “rather quickly,” Tomczyk said.

• Catcher Endy Rodriguez (right elbow), who has transitioned his rehabilitation to Pirate City in Bradenton, has reached the six-month mark in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and will begin to play catch. The switch-hitting Rodriguez is taking swings only from the left side but is expected to take swings from the right side at the seven-month mark.

• Right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo (right elbow) also is recovering from Tommy John surgery in Bradenton, where he has started a throwing program at 45 feet and is expected to progress to throwing from 60 feet.

• Left-handers Ryan Borucki (left triceps inflammation) and Marco Gonzales (left forearm strain) are “trending in the right direction” by doing plyometrics, the last phase before beginning a throwing program.

• Right-handed pitching prospect Bubba Chandler (mild forearm tightness) is back to throwing and expected to go from throwing a side session to games in “a couple days.”