Andrew McCutchen set to return from injury for Pittsburgh Pirates
By Hayden Kane
The Pittsburgh Pirates are hanging on tight to their spot in the race for a Wild Card berth in the National League. With that in mind, the return of center fielder and MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen will be a welcome sight indeed.
More from MLB
- Braves get dose of bad news on Max Fried as ace nears return
- Shohei Ohtani trade rumors live tracker: Every update so far
- MLB Rumors: Yankees mistake, Cardinals trade package, Cubs choice
- Inside the Clubhouse: What I’m hearing ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline
- After frantic trade day, Kiké Hernandez grateful for second chance with Dodgers
As far as mid-season additions go, sometimes it is just a matter of which contending teams get healthy at the right time. There can be no bigger boost in that regard than the return of a guy like McCutchen.
It is a fast return for McCutchen considering the nature of his injury (left rib fracture). Still, the face of the Pirates’ franchise insists that he is ready to go after taking batting practice on Monday (quotes from TribLive.com):
"“I felt pretty good out there. I made some good contact with some balls. I pretty much did everything. Swings and misses, check swung, fouled balls off and none of it bothered me. I’m ready to go…“…If that feels good, I’m going to feel good, and it felt really good (Monday). The plan is to be in there (Tuesday).”"
McCutchen has been wearing padding around his middle section and will plan to do so for the remainder of the season as a concession to what has to be a painful injury.
In 2014 McCutchen has delivered his usual production: .311/.411/.536 with 17 home runs, 67 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Combined with his outstanding defense in center field, McCutchen very well might be the best player in the National League. To have him return should make the Pirates an exciting team to watch once again down the stretch this season.