The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed catcher Francisco Cervelli on the 15-day disabled list with a broken hamate bone in his left hand. He left Friday night's game after injuring the hand while batting in the fourth inning.
Cervelli underwent left hand surgery today by Dr. Birdsong at Allegheny General Hospital to excise/remove a fractured hook of the hamate bone. The estimated time of return to full baseball activities is four to six weeks.
The Pirates have acquired catcher Erik Kratz from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for cash considerations. Kratz is expected to arrive in Pittsburgh and be active for tonight's game. He will wear uniform #38.
To make room for Kratz on the 40-man roster, Triple-A Indianapolis right-handed pitcher Trey Haley has been designated for assignment.
Kratz has played in 207 Major League games with Pittsburgh (2010), Philadelphia (2011-2013 and 2015), Toronto (2014), Kansas City (2015) and Houston (2016). He attended spring training this season with San Diego before being acquired by Houston on March 28 in exchange for pitcher Dan Straily.
Kratz played in 15 games with the Astros this season before being designated for assignment on May 16. He was then signed by the Angels as a minor league free agent on May 27 and assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .231 (9-for-39) with three doubles and seven RBI in 12 games.
The 35-year-old Kratz made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 2010 and played in a total of nine games with Pittsburgh that season.