A.J. Burnett “Less Than Two Weeks Away” From Return

According to Tom Singer of MLB.com, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett “could be less than two weeks away” from rejoining the club.  Burnett has been out since early March after fracturing the orbital bone in his right eye.

When Burnett first underwent surgery and hit the Pirates disabled list, the club estimated that the offseason acquisition could return toward the middle of May.  If Burnett is able to join the Pirates rotation in two weeks, he will be at the front end of his estimated recovery window of 8-12 weeks.

Before returning to the Pirates, Pittsburgh plans on having Burnett throw a side session under the watch of pitching coach Ray Searage and then make one more rehab start with the club’s Double-A affiliate.

Whenever Burnett is ready to be activated from the disabled list, the Pirates will be faced with a tough decision.  Manager Clint Hurdle has said there’s no clear pitcher to be removed from Pittsburgh’s current rotation, as all five of his current starters have been solid thus far.

Singer said that it was initially expected that a starter would be shifted to the bullpen, but Pittsburgh’s relievers have been even better than their starters early this season.

Singer speculates that a trade could be on the horizon if there isn’t an injury or underwhelming performance.  At this point, the Pirates are going with a starting five of James McDonald, Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia, Erik Bedard and Charlie Morton.

For more on the Pirates be sure to check out Rum Bunter.

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