PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Another step forward for Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes. Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirms Hayes took live batting practice for the first time Friday afternoon in Milwaukee.
Hayes has been out since leaving the second game of the season with a wrist injury. He only began swinging a couple of days ago and is eligible to come off the injured list at any time.
Shelton says Hayes remains day-to-day but wouldn't rule out his return against the Brewers.
New reliever
The Pirates added a pitcher Friday.
Righty reliever Michael Feliz goes on the 10-day injured list due to a cracked nail on his right middle finger. The team recalled righty Sean Poppen.
"Something that has affected him the last two times out," Shelton said. "We had to give it some rest."
The 27-year-old Poppen claimed off waivers from the Twins in October after starting his career there as a 19th round selection in 2016.
The 6'3", 27-year-old was a four-year starter at Harvard and was a starter in the minor leagues. He began relieving for his MLB debut in 2019. Poppen pitched in 4 games with a 7.56 ERA with Minnesota and then pitched in 6 games in relief in 2020 with a 4.70 ERA.
In the minors, Poppen had a 3.38 ERA in over 400 innings with 409 strikeouts to 132 walks.
"Gives us the ability to have some length," Shelton said. "The ability to put the ball on the ground and spin it. That's important for us."
Feliz had pitched in 6 games this season-5.2 innings, 7 hits, one walk, 7 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA. In his career, Feliz is 17-9 with a 5.11 ERA in 232.1 innings with 309 strikeouts.
