PITTSBURGH — The ace of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching staff landed on the disabled list Sunday.
Right-hander Gerrit Cole is sidelined due to right shoulder fatigue. He was scheduled to start Monday night in the series opener against the Cubs at Chicago, but felt fatigue in the shoulder while playing a catch a day after his previous start, Tuesday at San Diego.
Cole, 23, underwent an MRI exam Saturday that revealed no structural damage in the shoulder.
“If you look at the season he pitched last year, the run he went on with us late, coming out of the chute we really feel that it’s fatigue at this point in time,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “There have been some things that we have talked about, some red flags that you pick up. Consistency of pitches, volume of pitches, efficiency of pitches.
“There’s a lot of different factors that you look at, and you do talk to him and get his feedback as well.”
Cole pitched a combined 196 1/3 innings last season between Triple-A and the major leagues, including two starts in the National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. He has thrown a team-high 76 2/3 innings this year.
The Pirates hope Cole will be ready to be activated June 19, the first day he is eligible, or shortly thereafter.
“We originally thought about keeping Gerrit on the active roster and just having him skip a start,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “In the end, we decided to be more aggressive and give him more time off so we can get in front of things.”