Football
Associated Press 16y

Pirates' Wilson close to returning

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, out for seven weeks with a strained left calf, was examined by team doctors after playing in a minor league game Thursday and may return to the team next week.

Wilson is expected to play several more games this weekend at Double-A Altoona before the Pirates bring him back. Wilson hopes to return by Tuesday, when the Pirates open a series in Cincinnati.

"He's getting close," manager John Russell said. "It's gotten to the point where it's sooner rather than later."

Wilson, sidelined since the Pirates' third game of the season, has not yet played a full game in the field during an ongoing minor league rehabilitation assignment in which he spent four games with Triple-A Indianapolis before playing his last three with Altoona.

He played seven innings Thursday for Altoona at Akron, Ohio, going 1-for-2 -- his only hit in eight at-bats for the Curve. The former All-Star shortstop was 4-for-12 with a double and two RBIs with Indianapolis after spending several weeks at the Pirates' extended spring training camp in Bradenton, Fla.

Wilson's calf is tightening up late in games, one reason why the Pirates aren't ready to activate him.

"He's still fatiguing a little bit," Russell said. "He came here to see where he's at, if he needs more games and more reps and time in the field."

The Pirates have had season-long defensive problems without Wilson, long one of the NL's steadiest shortstops. Of the Pirates' league-high 42 errors going into Thursday night's game against Milwaukee, rookie shortstop Brian Bixler had six and utility infielder Luis Rivas had four.

Wilson was injured April 3 in Atlanta.

Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, expected to be out for four to six weeks after breaking his left thumb May 13 in St. Louis, said his rehabilitation is going well and he expects to be back sooner than that.

"It would be nice if the injury's a little different than we originally thought, and he'd be back sooner," Russell said. "He's a big presence in our lineup. He was doing a lot of great things and really balanced our lineup out."

Doumit is hitting .350 with five homers, eight doubles and 15 RBIs in 29 games.

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