PITTSBURGH — Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is now faced with the task of trying to divide 10 into eight with the return of shortstop Jordy Mercer to the active roster.
The Pirates activated Mercer, their starting shortstop, from the disabled list Sunday night before their 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Mercer had been out since July 20 with a sprained left knee.
Mercer, along with the return of third baseman Josh Harrison from the DL on Friday, essentially gives Hurdle 10 starting players for eight positions. Both veteran third baseman Aramis Ramirez and rookie shortstop Jung Ho Kang played well while Mercer and Harrison were out.
While Hurdle declined to be nailed down about how he will use everyone, he admitted to looking forward to having so many quality players to deploy.
“I’ve never had this flexibility before,” Hurdle said. “The in-game dynamic and double switches will be strong and we haven’t even discussed how this will affect (utility infielder) Sean Rodriguez.”
One factor for Hurdle will be giving players additionally rest for the stretch run. He specifically pointed to Kang, who was given a day off on Aug. 16 against the Mets at New York then hit three home runs in the next six games.
Hurdle also said he is not worried about any of his players being upset about any playing time adjustments because the Pirates are in the thick of a pennant race. They trail the St. Louis Cardinals by 3 1/2 games in the National League Central and lead the Chicago Cubs by three games and the Giants by nine games in the wild card standings.
“When you have the right men, you can’t have too many options,” Hurdle said. “Feelings aren’t hurt because these guys are unselfish. It’s incredible the things you can get done when you don’t worry about who gets the credit.”