Armando Rios will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that likely will require surgery.
Rios, acquired Monday as part of a deal that sent Jason Schmidt and John Vander Wal to the Giants, will remain with the Pirates in Colorado to treat swelling and then will be re-evaluated in Pittsburgh.
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The Pirates' Armando Rios is helped off the field after he fell trying to field a ball off the bat of Giants new-comer Jason Schmidt in the third inning Wednesday night. (Justin Sullivan, AP photo) |
Rios, slated to get an extended look in right field before the injury, damaged his knee in the game Tuesday night when his spikes were caught in the warning track as he played an Andres Galarraga triple off the wall. He played Wednesday but was limping while running out a grounder in the second inning. In the bottom of the second, his ACL was torn as he raced in for a pop up.
"When I put the brakes on, it just locked. I felt something weird," he said.
When told the injury was season-ending, Rios sat in front of his locker with his head in his hands and was consoled by his new teammates. He had said he played Wednesday because the game was against the Giants.
The Pirates have had a rash of injuries to position players and pitchers this season, prompting Brian Giles to say, "I've never seen anything like it. It seems like everything has gone wrong."
To fill Rios' roster spot, first baseman/outfielder Alex Hernandez was recalled from Nashville.
Hernandez, 24, who began this season on the disabled list with a stress fractured in a lumbar vertebra, hit .315 with six home runs and 32 RBI in 70 games at Class AAA.
Last September with the Pirates, he hit .200 with one home run and five RBIs.
With Derek Bell on the disabled list with a hamstring strain and likely to miss two to four more weeks, Adam Hyzdu started yesterday and will see more playing time in right field.
Rios out for year with left ACL tear 
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