Bucs place McDonald on DL; Mercer recalled

The Pirates placed infielder John McDonald on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday due to a low back strain and recalled infielder Jordy Mercer from Triple-A Indianapolis to take his spot.

McDonald exited Tuesday's game against the Brewers with pain in his lower back. He has only two hits in 31 at-bats this season.

This will be Mercer's second stint with the Pirates this year. He was with the Major League club from May 3-13 and hit .258 (8-for-31) with three homers and four RBIs in nine games, including eight starts at second base. He was optioned back to Indianapolis when Neil Walker returned from the disabled list.

Primarily a shortstop, Mercer put together a .210/.265/.371 batting line in 42 games with the Pirates last year. He's posted a .333/.404/.448 line in 26 games for Indianapolis this season.