No only are the Pirates struggling mightily on the field recently, dropping in the standings from first to fourth in a week and a half, they're dealing with injury to two top names.
Both outfielder Bryan Reynolds and outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen have missed the past two games against the Cubs.
Pirates Director of Sports Medicine Todd Tomczyk said before Wednesday's game that Reynolds has soreness in his lower back and McCutchen is dealing with a right elbow issue.
Reynolds was in the batting case to see how he was reacting and McCutchen has been dealing with the elbow throughout the season.
McCutchen doesn't expect it to be a big issue.
A source told 93.7 The Fan's Andrew Fillipponi on Tuesday that it was believed Reynolds was going on the injured list but that came as news to manager Derek Shelton.
McCutchen is batting .264 and Reynolds is at .279. For a team desperately looking to score runs, their bats would be a welcome return.
There is good news though,
Oneil Cruz is playing light catch and walking as he works toward a return later this season after fracturing his left ankle and first baseman Ji-Man Choi is expected to begin a rehab stint in the minors soon.
