In New York, Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes was removed from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup on Tuesday night against the New York Mets due to tightness in his lower back. Manager Derek Shelton explained, “It just kind of locked up on him a little bit trying to work out. He couldn’t get it really to release, so just out of the abundance of caution just going to make sure that we keep him down.”
As a result of Hayes’ absence, Jared Triolo transitioned from second base to third and moved up from sixth to Hayes’ spot at No. 3 in the batting order.
In the lineup adjustment, Oneil Cruz, originally slated for a night off against left-hander Jose Quintana, was instead placed at shortstop. This shift prompted Alika Williams to move from shortstop to second base.
Ke’Bryan Hayes, who had been batting .277 with no home runs and seven RBIs, was the player initially scratched due to lower back tightness.
Regarding injury updates, Yasmani Grandal, dealing with left foot plantar fasciitis, was scheduled to embark on a rehab assignment Tuesday night with Triple-A Indianapolis. Manager Derek Shelton stated that the 35-year-old catcher was expected to play four or five innings, emphasizing the need to gradually build up his activity since he missed spring training.
Yasmani Grandal, a two-time All-Star, has yet to make his debut for the Pirates since signing a $2.5 million, one-year contract in mid-February. Despite being able to participate in various activities such as catching and taking at-bats off the machine, he hasn’t had the opportunity to play in a game. Manager Derek Shelton emphasized the importance of getting Grandal into game action, including running and getting him on the bases as much as possible to prepare him for his debut with the team.