LOS ANGELES -- Francisco Cervelli will begin a rehabilitation stint with one of the Pirates' minor-league affiliates this weekend, pending multiple levels of approval, but Chad Kuhl and Jung Ho Kang clearly will be out for a while.
In the weekly update from Todd Tomczyk, the team's director of sports medicine told reporters at Dodger Stadium:
• Cervelli, on the concussion disabled list since June 22, has made "remarkable improvement" and resumed full baseball activities, including workouts earlier in the week with Class AA Altoona. He needs to be cleared by doctors, the commissioner's office and the MLB Players Association, but all of those are expected. He could be playing in the minors this weekend.
• Kuhl, on the disabled list since Friday because of a strained right forearm, flew back from San Diego to Pittsburgh for "further diagnostics," and he saw doctors in New York, as well, but his status remains murky. An MRI was performed, and it was recommended by the Pirates' doctors that he "undergo conservative treatment," Tomczyk said, meaning rest rather than surgery. He isn't allowed to grip a baseball and "he still feels a little soreness," Tomczyk said, "so we're going to make sure he's symptom-free before we re-initiate any throwing on flat ground."
• Kang, out of Class AAA Indianapolis' lineup since June 19 because of a left hand/wrist injury -- "some soft-tissue structures in there right now that aren't happy with him" was how Tomczyk described it -- was examined Tuesday in Pittsburgh by the team's hand specialists and, like Kuhl, isn't allowed to grip a baseball. It was recommended that he take an additional 10 days or so of "complete rest" before resuming swinging a bat. He's back in Indianapolis.
• Michael Feliz, on the disabled list since June 24 with right shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to throw a simulated game this weekend at PNC Park.
• Sean Rodriguez, on the disabled list since June 27 with what the team called a right quadriceps strain, is playing for Indianapolis.
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