Bucs get boost: Freese, Frazier back from DL

PHOENIX -- The Pirates reinstated David Freese and Adam Frazier from the 10-day disabled list on Friday, providing reinforcements for a struggling lineup.
Frazier, sidelined since April 23 with a left hamstring strain, was recalled from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis. Freese, out since April 26 with a right hamstring strain, went straight from the DL to Pittsburgh's lineup at Chase Field for Friday night's 11-4 loss to the D-backs.
"I feel good," said Freese, who went 0-for-3. "I wouldn't be back if I didn't feel ready to go and confident in how everything's feeling. It's nice to be on that lineup card."

To make room for Freese and Frazier, the Pirates optioned infielders Max Moroff and Christopher Bostick to Triple-A. Both players were recalled from Indianapolis to join the Pirates in Los Angeles on Monday.
The Pirates entered Friday having scored 19 runs over their past nine games. They ranked 28th in the Majors with 124 runs scored; only the Giants (117) and Royals (103) had scored fewer runs than the Bucs. Manager Clint Hurdle said he spoke with Freese and Frazier about not trying to do too much to bolster the lineup.
"We need fight in the box. You need to see pitches and you need to establish a game plan going in and stick with it for the first 10 at-bats," Hurdle said. "Very rarely, the amount of guys that go on this DL, to [expect them to] come back hot, that's not fair. You want them to come back, [have] quality at-bats, fight at-bats, see pitches and then they'll get hot."
Frazier went 4-for-10 with three walks, a double and an RBI while starting two games in left field and one at second base during his rehab assignment. He was not in Friday's lineup, but he is expected to start Saturday and receive a large share of the playing time in left field while Starling Marte is serving his 80-game suspension.
"I'm pretty excited. It's been a while," Frazier said. "Got my feet wet in Indy this past week, got some competing in. I've been itching to get back. I feel good. Looking forward to this."

Freese and Frazier were two of the Pirates' best hitters before going on the DL. Pittsburgh has three players with an adjusted OPS better than league average: Freese, Frazier and Harrison. Freese is hitting .321/.418/.536 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 18 games. Frazier is batting .306/.370/.449 in 15 games. The Bucs went 6-11 without Frazier and 4-9 without Freese.
"It's tough, especially when we're kind of scuffling right now, not being able to have a part in that," Frazier said. "You just want to get back that much faster and help the team win."
Freese has been taking swings in the cage and off a pitching machine. He focused on conditioning the past few days, preparing his body to play on back-to-back days.
"My swing feels good," Freese said. "Guys go down on rehab stints, come back and go 5-for-10 or 0-for-10. But I feel like if you stay in your zone and your timing's good, I think timing's the big thing. It's better to be early than late. We'll see what happens."
Cervelli sits
Catcher Francisco Cervelli was not in Friday's lineup as he rested a sore knee, the result of Chase Utley's slide home Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Cervelli played through the pain Thursday night and did not seem concerned about any long-term ramifications.
"I've been playing," Cervelli said. "You know me. I won't stop."