Andrew McCutchen has been one of baseball’s most durable players since the Pittsburgh Pirates called him up in 2009. However, he is currently dealing with an elbow injury after being hit by a pitch. His status for Sunday’s game remains unclear.
Continue for updates.
McCutchen Exits Game vs. Braves
Saturday, June 27
The Pirates announced Jung Ho Kang would replace McCutchen after Atlanta Braves starter Julio Teheran hit the 2013 NL MVP with a pitch. Pittsburgh later announced X-rays on the elbow were negative and that McCutchen would be re-evaluated on Sunday.
Adam Berry of MLB.com noted the pitch was a 91 mph fastball.
“I hate getting hit, but worse than that I guess pitchers don’t like getting their ERAs run up, either,” McCutchen said, via Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review provided more comments from McCutchen:
McCutchen says he is unsure about his status for tomorrow’s game, according to Sawchik.
There’s no denying the impact McCutchen makes when he’s on the field. He’s a 28-year-old monster who has posted a .300/.400/.500 slash line in each of the last three seasons. His 22 wins above replacement from 2012-14 rank second in all of baseball, behind Mike Trout (28.8), per FanGraphs.
Entering the game, he sported a .295/.382/.490 line with nine home runs and 44 RBI.
The Pirates aren’t an offensive juggernaut, finding success with pitching and defense, so McCutchen’s ability with the bat is crucial to how manager Clint Hurdle puts the lineup together. As long as his absence isn’t prolonged, the team should be OK.
If McCutchen winds up having to miss significant time, expectations for the Pirates in 2015 will change drastically.
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