Jordy Mercer injury could leave Pirates thin in infield
Already without their starting third baseman for at least another month, the Pittsburgh Pirates could be without their starting shortstop for some time too.
Jordy Mercer was carted off the field Sunday after sustaining a lower left leg injury when Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez slid near second base after Mercer fielded a ground ball and tried to turn a double play in the second inning.
There can be controversy whenever there’s a collision that causes injury, but for what it’s worth the Pirates aren’t blaming Gomez for what happened.
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“It’s unfortunate when your players get hurt,” manager Clint Hurdle said, “but that’s pretty much how you’re taught to keep the double play from happening.”
Neil Walker, who was close to the play, said, “I don’t think it was dirty or that he did anything intentional. We all know [Gomez] plays hard.”
Gomez took to Twitter after the game to send his best wishes to Mercer.
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The severity of Mercer’s injury is still unknown, but it appears it could keep him out of the lineup for awhile. He returned to Pittsburgh for further evaluations and a timeline for his return should be established soon. Mercer is hitting .242 with two home runs and 19 RBIs in 80 games while playing good defence.
Jung Ho Kang had been filling in at third base for Josh Harrison, who is expected back from a thumb injury in late August at the earliest, but Kang will now slide over to shortstop. Sean Rodriguez is likely to get more playing time at third base in the short-term.
Losing the left side of their infield for a good chunk of the second half is just another challenge the 53-38 Pirates face as they attempt to close the gap on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
