Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Tucupita Marcano will require surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday.
Marcano was injured while running to third base in the fifth inning of an 8-4 win at the San Diego Padres on July 24. He was placed on the 60-day injured list, so the news of the surgery makes it a season-ending injury.
Tomczyk said the Pirates collaborated with industry experts and determined that Marcano’s injury would require surgery sometime in the coming weeks, once the swelling subsides and his normal range of motion returns.
“You see it in other sports a lot,” Tomczyk said. “It’s not super common in baseball, but with an ACL surgery to the right knee — that’s the ligament that he injured — there is a certain amount of prehab that goes into it. … He’s working through those steps right now.”
In other Pirates injury news:
• Infielder/centerfielder Ji Hwan Bae (left ankle sprain) began what is expected to be an extended rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, with the goal for Bae to play multiple positions.
• Shortstop Oneil Cruz (fractured left ankle) will travel with the Pirates to Milwaukee for their four-game series to continue working on his hitting progression from soft tosses to overhand throws. While Cruz remains limited in his baseball activities, Tomczyk said it’s a “possibility” that Cruz could begin a rehabilitation assignment sometime this month.
“He’s doing quasi running: He’s doing plyometric-type, high knees, ballistic type movements in the weight room,” Tomczyk said. “Before he catches, he does some type of dynamic warmup but not a formal running program.”
• Right-handed pitcher Max Kranick (Tommy John surgery) has thrown several simulated games, with the next step being a rehabilitation assignment.
“The rehab team and pitching department down in the complex is getting a really good look at him,” Tomczyk said, “notably how Max is recovering and how everything is bouncing back after these outings.”
• First base prospect Malcom Nunez (right shoulder) began a rehabilitation assignment with High-A Greensboro, and Tomczyk said Nunez could make a stop at Double-A Altoona before returning to Triple-A Indianapolis.
“They want him to get through Greensboro first,” Tomczyk said. “The ultimate goal is to finish with the Indianapolis Indians as part of that rehab assignment.”
