Josh Harrison, the spark plug for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was placed on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his left thumb. The injury occurred Sunday when he slid into second base. There is no specific timetable but the thought is Harrison will miss the next six weeks, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Pirates and Harrison will no more on terms of timetable once he gets a second opinion, which will occur once the swelling in his hand subsides.
Harrison, 27, is the straw that stirs the drink for the Pirates (47-34). He is the most versatile starter as he jockey’s between the infield and outfield, depending on the matchup. The majority of his games played have been at third base (56), but he’s played double-digit games at second base (18) and in the outfield (13).
With Harrison out, the Pirates made a corresponding roster move as they claimed former Pittsburgh Pirate first baseman Travis Ishikawa. In 2014, Ishikawa played in 15 games for the Pirates and it wasn’t successful. He slashed .206/.263/.381 with seven hits, one home run and three RBI.
Now that the versatile Harrison is out for an extended period of time the everyday lineup should be more solidified. Jung Ho Kang will most likely takeover the everyday third base duties, while Jordy Mercer will play shortstop and Neil Walker will man second base. Expect Gregory Polanco to play even more in right field as he will face more left-handed pitching, now that Harrison can’t give him a break.
After signing a four-year extension this offseason, there were rumblings early in the season if Harrison was worth it. In the month of April, Harrison slashed .213/.250/.363 with two home runs and only five RBI. Since then he has slashed .303/.334/.402 with two home runs, 17 RBI and 28 runs scored.