Three months ago, Anthony Alford said he still hadn’t used his right arm.
The 26-year-old Pirates outfielder suffered a fractured arm in a Sept. 5 game against the Cincinnati Reds, when he tracked a fly ball back to the wall in center field and crashed into it, smashing his outstretched arm in the process.
Alford’s road back from that sort of injury wasn’t expected to be easy by any means. The hope was for Alford to be ready to go by the time spring training began.
Now, after three days of full-squad workouts at spring training, it seems Alford is still limited defensively.
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Alford is full-go with regards to swinging the bat but has struggled a bit to throw the ball comfortably.
“He did an excellent job during the offseason for his rehab program,” Tomczyk said. “He is having a little bit of challenges with the throwing, just to get more velocity on the balls and to continue to gain confidence, but we believe that we’re taking nice strides in regards to his throwing. No restrictions with hitting whatsoever, so you’ll probably see him in a game hitting and DH-ing before he actually is a full position player.”
Tomczyk didn’t elaborate on how long he believes Alford will be limited, but the news throws an unfortunate wrench in an already interesting center field equation for the Pirates.
Manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Bryan Reynolds will play in center at some point this season, but hinted that the competition right now is between Alford and 30-year-old veteran Brian Goodwin, whom the Pirates signed to a minor league deal this offseason.
“I think we feel very comfortable with the guys that we have in that competition,” Shelton said. “There could be other people who bounce into that later in camp. Right now, we do have an open competition there. I’m excited about Alford and Goodwin. Excited about the ability to watch both of those guys. Alford, we signed him, and he played for a short amount of time. I was able to see Goodwin a little from Cincinnati, but we were happy we were able to bring him into camp.”
Of course, if Alford takes a while longer to get back to full defensive strength, that makes the battle for the starting center field spot a bit less competitive. As games begin for the Pirates this Sunday, it will be interesting to see how quickly Alford can get back in the field.
Other injury updates
General manager Ben Cherington noted Sunday that left-hander Austin Davis was limited due to arm soreness. Tomczyk confirmed that himself, characterizing Davis’ situation as a left elbow sprain. He further explained that Davis is currently in the final stages of his rehabilitation before his throwing program begins.
“We hope to see him throwing in the coming days and the near future,” Tomczyk said.
The other player who is seriously limited is right-hander Jose Soriano, whom the Pirates selected with the first overall selection in this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft. Soriano underwent Tommy John surgery just over a year ago, while a member of the Los Angeles Angels’ organization.
Tomczyk and the Pirates’ staff have spent time with Soriano, making sure his range of motion and measurements are in a good spot for this point in his rehab. The 22-year-old has begun throwing again but has yet to take part in any bullpen sessions.
“He’s not behind, he’s not ahead. He’s where he needs to be right now,” Tomczyk said.
Right fielder Gregory Polanco broke a bone in his wrist while sliding in a game with in the Dominican Winter League this offseason. He is on the field and at 100%, according to Tomczyk, with no real concerns or limitations moving forward.
The same can be said for infielder Kevin Newman, who was placed on the injured list at the end of last season with a contusion to the peroneal nerve of his left knee. Nerve injuries can leave a lasting impact, but Tomczyk says for Newman, that wasn’t the case.
“Nerves can take some time to come back over the course of that rest and recovery period,” Tomczyk said. “But specifically in regards to Kevin, there was nothing that hindered him from getting back into his normal offseason routine.”
Mike Persak: mpersak@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDPersak
First Published: February 24, 2021, 9:36 p.m.
