ST. LOUIS -- Francisco Cervelli has been waiting months for a chance to get back on the field -- and behind the plate -- in a game. That opportunity will finally come on Sunday.

Cervelli is scheduled to begin a Minor League rehabilitation assignment as a catcher on Sunday night with Double-A Altoona, his first game action since he was sidelined by a concussion on May 25. Cervelli remains on the 60-day injured list, but he has finally received clearance to play after a long recovery process.

“Our first focus, as his is, is just getting him back in play. No expectations,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said Saturday. “The timetable, once it starts, is 20 days. I think it’ll give him every opportunity to reestablish himself from a defensive standpoint -- playing games, volume of games, innings. He’s been out a long time.”

Cervelli has worked out at other positions during his rehab, fielding grounders at second and third, and also fielding some fly balls in the outfield. But Hurdle said Cervelli will begin his rehab assignment as a catcher while getting the occasional start at designated hitter so he can take more at-bats.

Cervelli can spend up to 20 days in the Minors unless his rehab assignment is paused and restarted. After getting comfortable in Double-A, he will likely advance to Triple-A Indianapolis before he’s ready to rejoin the Pirates. That would put him in line, if all goes well, to end his rehab assignment on Aug. 31 and join the Bucs when rosters expand on Sept. 1.

“He’s going to need that time, then we’ll see where it can take him. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves, because there’s no need to get ahead of ourselves,” Hurdle said. “I think we need to be in a very good place about just letting him play, seeing how he feels as he continues to play, how that all develops. We’re very pleased that he’s been cleared, and we’re pleased that this opportunity has gotten to this point. We’ll see where it takes us, and it takes him.”

Cervelli, currently Pittsburgh’s highest-paid player, will be a free agent at the end of the season. The 33-year-old has taken time to consider his well-being and the long-term impact of the repeated concussions he’s sustained, especially given the time it took to recover from his latest injury. He has also made it clear that he wants to continue catching.

Cervelli got off to a slow start this season, batting .193 with a .526 OPS in 34 games, but the Pirates have missed him at the plate and behind it. Their catchers entered Saturday night with a .624 OPS that ranked 27th among all Major League teams at the position. According to FanGraphs, Pittsburgh’s catchers rank 28th in the Majors this season with -0.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).

Last year, Cervelli, Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings ranked fourth in the Majors with 4.2 WAR. No team in the Majors received better offensive production from behind the plate, as the Bucs’ backstops combined for a .784 OPS, .342 wOBA and 116 wRC+. Cervelli was a big factor in that success, as he slashed .259/.378/.431 with a career-high 12 homers in 2018.

Home where the Hart is

Rookie reliever Geoff Hartlieb entered Friday’s series opener at Busch Stadium under less-than-ideal circumstances, coming on to replace Richard Rodriguez in the eighth inning after a tie game turned into a 6-2 deficit. The unusual part, though, was the cheering that accompanied his entrance.

It was a road game for the Pirates but a home game for Hartlieb, a native of nearby Highland, Ill., who attended Lindenwood University about 30 minutes away from St. Louis. If the Cardinals were playing, he said, the game was on TV at his house. He attended at least 100 games at Busch Stadium as a fan.

The right-hander said he had between 250 and 300 friends and family members in the stands on Friday, and they made themselves heard when he retired both batters he faced.

“I didn’t really think about it again until after I was walking off after the third out, just kind of looking up and seeing my family standing over there,” Hartlieb said. “I’ve watched a lot of games from that side of the fence, so being on this side of it was pretty sweet.”