Perrotto: Back Injuries Always Cause for Pause (+)

PITTSBURGH – Perhaps there is no reason to think twice about this type of injury.

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation prior to Wednesday night’s 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres at PNC Park. It seems like a relatively tame ailment and Hayes shouldn’t miss a whole lot of time.

Yet there can’t help but some concern about Hayes’ balky back. Though he never landed on the IL because of it, Hayes admitted at the end of last season that his back bothered him for most of the summer.

The back was not an issue this season, at least publicly, until last weekend when he began feeling discomfort during the Pirates’ series against the Marlins in Miami. The Pirates felt Hayes had made progress following Monday’s off day but instead of returning to the lineup Wednesday as originally hoped, Hayes wound up on the IL.