PITTSBURGH — Jordy Mercer is recovering so well from his knee injury that he will begin a minor league rehab assignment earlier than expected.
The Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop will start playing Tuesday night for Triple-A Indianapolis, three days ahead of schedule. Third baseman Josh Harrison also will begin his rehab for Indy the same night.
Mercer has been on the disabled list since July 20 with a sprained left knee, an injury originally expected to sideline him until sometime in September. However, the Pirates gave him to OK to start playing after watching him get through lateral movement drills without incident during the weekend.
Harrison has been out since July 6 with a torn ligament in his left thumb that required surgery.
Mercer said Sunday of his knee, “I didn’t think it would respond the way it has responded to the rehab. We’ve extended it and really pushed it. It’s responded really well.
“A lot of people that have seen me work out say that I’m ready. If they say that, and I feel good, we just decided I might as well go ahead and go, get some reps, get my feet wet and start getting back in game shape.”
The Pirates don’t have an exact timetable for Mercer’s return. However, they won’t activate him until he shows he can play nine innings on back-to-back days.
Mercer also has no expectation for when he will be ready to step back into the Pirates’ lineup.
“I’ve done everything that I wanted to accomplish myself before going out (on rehab),” Mercer said. “I know it’s going to take some time when I get there. The knee is a little bit different, and we’ve got to make sure I have no issues before I come back, but it’s going to be good just to get back out on the field.”