Pittsburgh will activate second baseman Neil Walker from the disabled list for tonight’s game after he missed the past two weeks following an appendectomy.
Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports that Walker was slated to play in a minor-league rehab game Monday, but decided instead to rejoin the Pirates and take some swings during rehabbing right-hander Gerrit Cole’s simulated game. That apparently went well enough that the Pirates are convinced he’s ready to return.
Walker could serve as the designated hitter because the Pirates are playing the Rays in Tampa Bay, but manager Clint Hurdle will use him at second base, saying: “I don’t have any hesitation to play him in the field.”
