Francisco Cervelli missed his 62nd game of the season Sunday and hasn’t played since suffering his sixth known concussion in May. While he is working out and traveling with the Pirates, it remains uncertain when or if he’ll catch again.
“Francisco continues to do amazing work off the field to stay in great shape, to put himself in position to be ready if and when we get the authorization,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Sunday. “That’s the next step, working through the next phase of the authorization.
“He’s working probably as hard as he’s ever worked, and that’s hard to say for a man who works really hard to begin with,” Huntington said. “He’s putting himself to be physically as ready as he can be. He’s swinging a bat. He’s bouncing from different positions. He’s trying to be ready when that authorization — hopefully when that authorization comes — to be able to get out on a rehab. But the next step still is a big one for us to cross.”
There seems to be a slight difference in opinion with how Cervelli is using his time. Before reporters spoke to Huntington, after his radio show Sunday, Cervelli told the Post-Gazette that he was catching bullpen sessions.
“The plan is for me to catch again,” Cervelli said. “I’ve been catching bullpens now. I [have] one in 20 minutes.”
Huntington, however, seemed to intimate that Cervelli hasn’t progressed that far as of yet.
“Has not started catching progression. He’s doing everything outside of that at this point and time,” Huntington said. “A few more conversations, [catching bullpens] could be an opportunity to begin his next step in his full baseball progression.”
Cervelli is a fierce competitor who realizes that, at 33 years old, there aren’t likely to be many years left in his career.
“It’s wrong not to be grateful about all the opportunities I’ve had and the things I’ve been able to do in this game,” Cervelli said. “I’m very happy with everything that I’ve been through because I feel that it can make me a better person. It’s tough to be out this long at this point in my career. It’s very tough, but I don’t have any time to cry.”
Nubyjas Wilborn: nwilborn@post-gazette.com Twitter: @nwilborn19
First Published: August 4, 2019, 8:34 p.m.
