MILWAUKEE — The shoulder injury Gregory Polanco suffered on his ugly slide could keep him out of the Pirates' lineup until next June, and Chad Kuhl's elbow will be re-examined by a surgeon next week.
That news was made public hours before Chris Archer allowed two home runs in a 7-4 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park on Friday night. The team announced Polanco's surgically-repaired left shoulder — which included an acute dislocation and torn labrum — may require up to nine months for a full recovery, and Kuhl is heading back to Dr. David Altchek's office in New York after a setback in St. Louis three days earlier.
While Archer replaced Kuhl in the rotation last month, the loss of Polanco creates uncertainty for a team that traded a prominent bench bat two weeks ago and could part with two veteran starters this offseason. However, one internal candidate to fill the void is trying to show the front office what he could provide as a potential replacement in right field.
Jordan Luplow, an early favorite to start in place of Polanco on opening day and the organization's minor league player of the year in 2017, reached safely in two of five at-bats Friday night, including an RBI triple in the third inning.
"There's a lot of things you can’t measure in the game, which really locks a lot of people up because if they can’t measure it, they can’t throw their name on it or say, ‘Whoa, this is what I’ve got,’" Clint Hurdle beamed. "You don’t know what you’ve got unless you want to throw your neck out there, your reputation and go out there early, saying, ‘No, this is what I believe, and I don’t have any numbers to back it up, but my eyes tell me, my gut tells me this kid can play ball.’ That’s where I’ve gone with [Luplow]. My eyes and my gut tell me the kid can play ball. We’ll find out. I think he can."
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