Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that tests on second baseman Brandon Lowe’s right knee were “negative for any sort of fracture,” but said they are taking a “more conservative” approach to shortstop Konnor Griffin’s return from a right elbow strain.
During a guest appearance on franchise radio flagship 93.7 The Fan, Cherington said Griffin visited orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, who confirmed the diagnosis of a muscle flexor strain but showed concern about the location of the injury. Griffin is eligible to be activated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.
“Some adjustment to the timeline, erring a little bit more conservative,” Cherington said. “That means I don’t have a timeline.”
Lowe was removed from the game and helped off the field with assistance with two outs in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Braves when he fouled a 1-1 pitch off his knee.
“He got hit pretty good,” Cherington said. “He’s pretty sore. Right now, we’re looking at this as a day-to-day thing.”
Cherington also said that center fielder Oneil Cruz “banged up his hand” while sliding into home plate in the fourth inning and won’t play Sunday. Jake Mangum started in center field in his place.
Cherington added that catcher Joey Bart, who is on the 10-day IL with an infection in his left foot, will require a rehabilitation assignment before returning to the team.
The Pirates took steps to add infield depth, selecting the contract of infielder Davis Wendzel from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia to Indianapolis. Garcia batted .200 (7 for 35) with a .427 OPS, two RBIs and 10 strikeouts against one walk in 13 games for the Pirates.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates transferred right-handed reliever Chris Devenski (undisclosed illness) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.
Wendzel, who was signed to a minor-league contract in the offseason, was batting .246/.360/.491 with 14 doubles, nine home runs, 34 RBIs, 28 runs scored in 54 games at Indy. The 29-year-old Wendzel batted .128 in 27 games with the Texas Rangers in 2024, and he spent last season in the minors with the Cincinnati Reds.