Notes: Stallings returns; Soriano in action

After yet another Pirate sustained an injury on Wednesday, the team had a key member return.

Jacob Stallings was in the starting lineup to begin a four-game set with the Braves in Atlanta on Thursday night, batting fourth and catching Pirates starter Wil Crowe. In his first at-bat, Stallings slugged a two-run homer.

Stallings missed two games with a left knee contusion after being struck by a foul ball from Buster Posey in Sunday’s 4-1 loss at PNC Park. The Pirates’ everyday backstop stayed in for a few more pitches after being checked out, but he left the game with a left quad contusion.

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“He was itching near the end of the game last night to get back in there,” manager Derek Shelton said of Stallings. “The fact that he's healthy is important, because we've run him pretty hard and we're gonna have to give him days off.”

Stallings’ return comes at a good time for the Pirates, as Michael Perez has struggled to get going in May to the tune of an 0-for-26 stretch with two walks in eight games. Shelton said he hoped the back-to-back starts in St. Louis on Tuesday and Wednesday would prove beneficial for Perez, who was claimed by Pittsburgh this offseason from the Rays, but he struck out four times in seven at-bats.

“When you’re a backup catcher and play once every five days, six days, it can be challenging,” Shelton said.

Meanwhile, Stallings is having the best season of his career. His .815 OPS heading into Thursday was more than 100 points higher than his next closest season of at least 10 games, and he’s fifth among National League catchers with 1.1 fWAR (min. 100 plate appearances).

“He means a lot to our club,” Shelton said. “He’s done a nice job so far this year on both sides of the ball.”

The Pirates have had quite a run with the injury bug in the two weeks, with Colin Moran (groin), Phillip Evans (hamstring) and Trevor Cahill (calf) having all been removed from games early, as well as Stallings. Moran and Evans are on the 10-day injured list, while Cahill is being examined after exiting Wednesday night’s 8-5 loss in the second inning. Other notable players missing include Ke’Bryan Hayes (wrist), Steven Brault (lat) and Chad Kuhl (shoulder), who began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday night.

Soriano kicks off rehab

Pirates No. 25 prospect José Soriano began his first rehab assignment Thursday at Low-A Bradenton since he underwent Tommy John surgery in January 2020, and it couldn’t have gone much better from the jump.

Soriano pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out five batters. He threw his first 12 pitches for strikes, as his four-seamer ran up to 98 mph on the LECOM Park stadium radar gun and his curveball had a strong hooking action.

The right-hander, who touched 100 mph with his fastball before the season-ending injury, was selected by the Pirates in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason from the Angels. The organization will keep a close eye on how Soriano recovers from this first rehab start.

“We’re excited to have him back on the field,” Shelton said. “Like we talk about with all of those guys, it’s the day after and how they feel. With young kids, you want to make sure that next day, they feel healthy.”

As a Rule 5 Draft pick, Soriano will need to be on the Pirates’ active roster as soon as he completes his rehab. He must be on the club’s 26-man roster for at least 90 days, or else he must pass through outright waivers. If he clears waivers, he must be offered back to the Angels for $50,000. If they decline to re-acquire him, he can be outrighted to the Minors.