The last player to make the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster out of spring training, reliever Rob Zastryzny was excited to get going this season.
Unfortunately for him, his campaign was disrupted soon after it got underway, with Zastryzny placed on the 15-day injured list April 16 because of left elbow discomfort.
Leading into his injury, Zastryzny struggled in seven appearances with the Pirates, posting a 7.94 ERA in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and five walks.
Signed by the Pirates to a minor-league contract in February, the 31-year-old left-hander has navigated through a nerve-related injury.
“Discouraging is a good word for it,” he said. “(Opening Day) was a super high point in my career, and then it’s throwing well, the team’s doing really well and then you have a rough stretch and you go on the IL. It’s kind of a hopeless feeling. Being able to be back and contributing to the team is all I’ve been hoping for.”
When he started experiencing discomfort in his throwing arm, Zastryzny’s mind began racing — to the point of calling his wife to inform her his baseball career could be in jeopardy.
“Any time you have an injury where you don’t know what you’re feeling, your mind just goes to the worst,” he said. “The worst would be (out) a year, year and a half. Things like (Tommy John surgery).”
Zastryzny’s fears were not realized, and, following a mid-May rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, he was activated from the injured list Friday ahead of the Pirates’ three-game series vs. Arizona.
Notably for the Pirates, Zastryzny gives the club another left-handed pitcher in the bullpen. His absence had left Jose Hernandez as the only lefty.
“I think if I can do my job well, me and Hernandez complement each other a lot,” Zastryzny said. “Any time you can look down the bullpen and have two left-handed guys you know can get outs, I know it helps the team a ton.”
Hernandez, a 25-year-old rookie, owns a 3.12 ERA through 16 appearance with three walks and 19 strikeouts.
In another Friday afternoon roster move, the Pirates designated outfielder Miguel Andujar for assignment.
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The 28-year-old former Yankees prospect, who was acquired by the Pirates off waivers last September, began this season in Indianapolis before being promoted to Pittsburgh at the end of April.
Upon joining the Pirates, Andujar quickly made a splash, hitting home runs with three RBIs in back-to-back games against Washington.
However, as the Pirates’ May slump intensified, Andujar’s effectiveness at the plate dropped off.
In 23 at-bats this month, he managed one hit (May 7 against Toronto), good for a .043 batting average over his past 10 games.
At the time of his designation, Andujar was batting .161 with a pair of home runs and six RBIs through 13 games.
The Pirates have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
Justin Guerriero is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Justin by email at jguerriero@triblive.com or via Twitter .