Archer (thumb inflammation) lands on injured list
LOS ANGELES -- Right-hander Chris Archer was placed on the 10-day injured list with right thumb inflammation on Saturday, following a shaky outing against the Dodgers on Friday. Right-handed reliever Michael Feliz was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill the open spot on the 25-man roster.
The thumb issues for Archer first arose two starts ago against the Giants on April 21, but persisted into Friday’s four-inning outing, his shortest of the season. Archer got tagged for six runs on six hits, including a pair of homers, while striking out three and walking three.
“We felt that, to give this ample enough time to heal, and the team’s upcoming off-days, that this was the best decision for [Archer], short- and long-term,” Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said. “When it started last start, he really never got any rest period. He continued to throw through it. So we’ll disengage him from throwing for a few days and build him up accordingly.”
Archer noted following Friday’s game that he never quite managed to get a feel for his slider, an important out pitch for him.
“My slider was bad,” he said. “I kept trying to throw it, kept trying to force it, that’s really what happened tonight.
“If I have my slider working like it normally is working, then I’m able to [put batters away]. Tonight, I didn’t. ... That feel just never came.”
Archer will be eligible to be activated from the IL on May 7. He would have been lined up to start against the A’s at home on Friday, although with off-days on Monday and Thursday this week, the Pirates will “juggle” some things with the rotation, according to manager Clint Hurdle. That flexibility is why it made sense to call up relief help instead.
Feliz, who came to the Bucs as part of the Gerrit Cole trade, had a 5.66 ERA (4.13 FIP) in 47 2/3 innings across 47 relief appearances for Pittsburgh in 2018. In seven Triple-A games this season, the 25-year-old allowed one earned run in nine innings, striking out 12 and issuing six walks.
“I think there’s development [from last season], I think there was some growth,” Hurdle said. “Velocity spiked, slider got better, tighter, more tilt. ... All in all, it was an arm with some experience that we could bring up, provide us with some support through the weekend, then decide what we need to do next as we move into Texas and [face] Oakland from here.”
Dickerson, Chisenhall stall in rehab
Outfielder Corey Dickerson, who was set to serve as the designated hitter for Indianapolis on Saturday, experienced tightness in his right shoulder throwing at 110 feet and will not begin his rehab assignment as planned. Lonnie Chisenhall, meanwhile, felt left calf tightness while rounding first base in a Triple-A rehab game. His stint has also been paused.
The next step for Dickerson, according to Tomczyk, was to rejoin the Pirates in Texas for a medical assessment with the club’s medical staff. Chisenhall, on the other hand, will return to Pittsburgh to be re-examined by the team physicians early next week.
“We want Lonnie to be seen by our physicians and probably will order some diagnostics as well,” Tomczyk said.