Batting leadoff, Dickerson (groin) departs early

NEW YORK -- Corey Dickerson left Friday's series opener against the Mets in the third inning due to left groin discomfort. Dickerson is being seen by team doctors and the Pirates will provide an update on his status once he's further evaluated.

The timing of Dickerson's injury couldn't be worse for the Pirates. The left fielder is one of their best potential trade chips, and the July 31 Trade Deadline is just five days away.

Dickerson appeared to be in some discomfort coming off the field following his flyout to left in the top of the third, but the injury might have happened the inning before, when he ran 97 feet to make a catch on Dominic Smith's fly ball into the left-field corner. Dickerson was replaced by Melky Cabrera in left field to start the bottom of the inning.

"He felt like making the play in left field, he kind of aggravated something, and through the at-bat, he didn't feel comfortable," manager Clint Hurdle said after the game.

The 30-year-old left-handed hitter had found his groove after missing over two months with a posterior right shoulder strain from early April to June. Dickerson hit .327/.378/.514, good for an .892 OPS (despite only one home run), in the 37 games from his June 8 return up to Friday night's game at Citi Field.

Pittsburgh even moved Dickerson into the leadoff spot in the batting order for the first time all season Friday, hoping that it would spark a scuffling team that took a five-game losing streak and 2-11 post-All-Star break record into this six-game road trip.

Before the game, Hurdle had said of Dickerson: "He's been in a good place swinging the bat. ... I think after about a solid 3-4 weeks of seeing Major League pitching, he's starting to find his stride. It's been getting better as he goes on. The quality at-bats, the hard contact, the exit velocity -- things are picking up."

Dickerson went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and flyout Friday before being removed.