MILWAUKEE — Further investigation into Starling Marte’s back spasms did not reveal a more menacing underlying issue, head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday.
Marte has not played since Sept. 5, but was available off the bench Tuesday night.
“We did look under the hood, and there was nothing that was too serious to prevent him from moving forward,” Tomczyk said.
Marte was close to returning to action over the weekend in Cincinnati before his back spasms flared again. He went through a workout before the Tuesday night game and another Wednesday that included further tests in the outfield.
“If all goes well today, we anticipate him playing in the near future,” Tomczyk said.
Marte leads the team with 4.9 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. The Pirates have used Gregory Polanco, Matt Joyce and Adam Frazier in left field in Marte’s absence.
“There’s a lot of different variables with spasms,” Tomczyk said. “Overall fatigue, hydration, stuff that we examine with these guys every day.”
Injured relievers not ready
One day after it appeared A.J. Schugel would return to the bullpen, he is headed back to Pittsburgh so Pirates physicians can re-evaluate his right shoulder.
Manager Clint Hurdle said Tuesday that Schugel, who had not pitched since Aug. 30, would be available in relief.
“The goal was for him to be available [Tuesday],” Tomczyk said. “He played catch on flat ground and did not respond well.”
Schugel will likely receive a second opinion.
Neftali Feliz (upper arm) was cleared for flat-ground throwing. Tomczyk said Feliz received a second opinion from Dr. James Bradley in Pittsburgh.
“We’re still in the information-gathering stage,” Tomczyk said.
Meadows update
Center-field prospect Austin Meadows has not returned to baseball activity after straining his oblique in the final game of the Class AAA season.
Meadows is at the team facility in Bradenton, Fla. for the fall instructional league. He is not expected to participate in the Arizona Fall League as previously planned.
“We’re trying to get him in the best possible position so he can have a normal offseason,” Tomczyk said.
Stewart update
The procedure Chris Stewart had on his left knee Tuesday was a chondroplasty, which cleaned up cartilage and the meniscus in the knee.
Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery, which will keep Stewart off his feet for two weeks and has a recovery time of six to eight weeks.
“The cartilage was worn and torn,” Tomczyk said. “So how do you preserve the overall integrity of the entire knee joint to have short- and long-term effects to prolong his career?”
Bill Brink: bbrink@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrinkPG.
First Published: September 22, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
