PHILADELPHIA -- The Pirates reinstated Francisco Cervelli from the DL Monday and plan to play him every other day during this four-game series in Philadelphia, but possibly through all seven games until the All-Star Break.
Cervelli batted seventh during Monday's 4-0 loss to the Phillies, but went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
"If he shows that he's posted up pretty well maybe we can make an adjustment when we get to Wrigley," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Cervelli, who will start Monday and Wednesday in Philly.
Cervelli sustained a concussion nearly a month ago when he took a foul ball to the mask. After a trip to the seven-day DL, he returned to play in four games from June 14-19 before heading back to the DL with post-concussion symptoms (including fevers, headaches and dizziness).
His case is complicated because the lingering effects from the concussion could tie into the chronic sinus issues he's battled since April. Hurdle said Cervelli would not have been reinstated if he didn't pass tests run on either the concussion or the sinus condition.
To make room for Cervelli, the Pirates optioned right-hander Edgar Santana back to Triple-A Indianapolis. Santana struggled with the Pirates in nine appearances, posting a 5.87 ERA, his highest at any level of his four-year career.
"This is just another part of the story, this isn't the end of the story," Hurdle said. "He's been on an HOV lane to get here. It's a remarkable story in and of itself. This is maybe one of the first times he's faced any adversity in his young career.
"We believe his skillset will play up here, now it's just going back there and developing some more consistency."
Pittsburgh will carry three catchers for the time being: Cervelli, Elias Diaz and Chris Stewart.
"Makes the most sense right now with a guy coming off the concussion list. Gives us some coverage," Hurdle said.
Rivero All-Star snub?
Despite having the second-best ERA of any National League reliever and just four earned runs allowed in 44 innings, Felipe Rivero was not named to the NL All-Star team. Hurdle spoke with Rivero (and Ivan Nova) before announcing to the team that its lone representative would be second baseman Josh Harrison.
"I have a standing policy that I'll talk to the guys that I thought had a shot, just because they might have thought they had a shot. ... We feel angst because he's our guy, we've seen him, is he deserving? Absolutely," Hurdle said.
When those final bullpen spots are awarded, sometimes the players who deserve it most are set aside in favor of players who are their club's only representative.
"There's a hard side to it. When it comes down to picking players, there's maybe only one on a team that you're going to be able to pick, it comes down to need vs. want for the manager, the Commissioner's Office, the people that are looking to fill the spot out," Hurdle said.