ST. LOUIS -- Veteran infielder Josh Harrison has reportedly cleared revocable trade waivers, so the Pirates can now freely trade him. That doesn't mean Harrison is on the move, however.
Harrison passed through waivers without being claimed, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Most teams run their players through revocable waivers this time of year, but contenders will keep a close eye on the waiver wire between now and Friday, the deadline for teams to add players and have them be eligible for the postseason.
There is no guarantee Harrison will be traded. He is healthy enough to play and unlikely to go on the disabled list, but he has been limited lately by a strained left hamstring. The injury affected him for a month after the All-Star break and resurfaced just as he began to feel healthy again two weeks ago.
"He's good to go. I think it's just dependent on what happens during the course of the game," manager Clint Hurdle said. "We've got an opportunity to make sure that he gets a little bit of time. I don't know if he's going to heal completely before the end of the season anyway, so we'll pick our spots when we can use him when it makes sense."
Harrison was not in the Pirates' lineup as they opened a three-game series against the Cardinals on Tuesday night. Hot-hitting Adam Frazier started at second base at Busch Stadium.
Harrison is in the final guaranteed season of the four-year, $27.3 million contract extension he signed in April 2015. That deal includes club options for next season ($10.5 million, $1 million buyout) and 2020 ($11.5 million, $500,000 buyout). Harrison is a versatile veteran who could help a number of teams, but his injured leg and decreased production this year might make him a costly gamble for a postseason contender.
After making the National League All-Star team a year ago, Harrison entered Tuesday hitting .257/.299/.365 with seven homers, 33 RBIs and three steals in 86 games. He has been set back by injuries, most recently his hamstring. Harrison also sustained a fracture in the fifth metacarpal of his left hand after being hit by a pitch last September, and then sustained the same injury in April.
The Pirates have fallen 8 1/2 games out of the second NL Wild Card spot, so it would make sense for them to consider trades involving players who won't return next season. Most of Pittsburgh's roster is set to return next year, however. Jordy Mercer, Adeiny Hechavarria and Sean Rodriguez are their only pending free agents, while Harrison and David Freese have club options for next season.
"The majority of the players that we expect to contribute next year and for years into the future are still under contract and are guys that will continue to benefit from playing, whether we're able to close this gap somehow, some way," GM Neal Huntington said Sunday on his weekly KDKA-FM radio show. "As we look at next year's club, the core of it is this year's club with continued growth, with continued development."
Around the horn
• Mercer (left calf strain) ran the bases on Tuesday afternoon and could come off the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday. Hechavarria and prospect Kevin Newman have filled in for Mercer during his time on the DL.
• Kevin Newman, the Pirates' No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and infield prospect Kevin Kramer, the club's No. 7 prospect, were named Triple-A International League Postseason All-Stars, becoming the first Indianapolis middle-infield duo to receive the honor since 1999.
• Double-A Altoona clinched its fourth straight postseason berth on Sunday. Infielders Ke'Bryan Hayes, the No. 2-ranked prospect, and Will Craig (No. 16-ranked prospect) were also included on the Eastern League's season-ending All-Star team. Right-handers Luis Escobar and Yeudy Garcia were suspended due to a violation of club policies.
• Class A West Virginia shortstop Oneil Cruz (No. 4-ranked prospect) and outfielder Calvin Mitchell (No. 9-ranked prospect) received South Atlantic League Annual All-Star honors. Cruz, acquired for Tony Watson last year, was also recognized as the league's Most Outstanding Major League Prospect. The last Pirates prospect to receive that award was Gregory Polanco in 2012.