Pirates closer Jason Grilli has been on the disabled list since April 21 with a strained oblique, but the right-hander deemed himself “ready” to return after throwing 24 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Travis Sawchik reports.
Grilli, of course, won’t just be activated like that; he’ll have to make a handful of rehab appearances, but if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, he could rejoin his teammates before the month of May expires.
Grilli blew two consecutive saves against the Brewers -- both due to Ryan Braun homering -- before the Pirates shut him down. In his absence, Mark Melancon has been handling closing duties and has done a great job, notching four of five saves with a 1.13 ERA and a 5/0 K/BB ratio in eight innings in his new role.
It’s unclear if the Pirates plan to reinsert Grilli into his previous role or wean him back into closing.
