Pittsburgh placed Pokey Reese on the DL Wednesday due to a strained right hamstring. Reese injured himself running out a ground ball in the April 19th game and was placed on the DL retroactive to the 20th, so he will be eligible to return May 5th.

Initially, the Pirates did not even consider the injury serious enough for Reese to spend any time on the disabled list, so he is expected to return as soon as he is eligible to come of the DL. He was placed on the DL because the hamstring was not healing as quickly as expected, and the team wanted to be cautious rather than risk losing him for an extended period of time.

Mendy Lopez was called up to replace Reese on the roster. The 27-year-old infielder has bounced between AAA and the majors for the last few years. He lacks plate discipline and has few offensive skills. Lopez might have been able to earn more major league service time based on his defense, but minor injuries at inopportune times have held him back.

This spring Lopez fractured the tip of his right thumb during Spring Training. However, he's recovered from the injury and will assist Abraham Nunez at 2B until Reese returns.

Meanwhile the team is also without Aramis Ramirez. Today is the 2nd day of the 7-day suspension Ramirez received for his participation in a brawl between the Pirates and the Brewers. Ramirez charged the mound after he was hit by a Ben Sheets' pitch. Sheets, who was merely fined for his actions, reportedly threw at Ramirez in retaliation for a pitch that hit Geoff Jenkins earlier in the game. In addition to inciting a brawl that cleared both benches, Ramirez managed to sprain his ankle during his assault on the mound.

Ramirez did not bother appealing the suspension since he was already sitting out because of the ankle sprain. He will be eligible to play again on May 1st, but Pittsburgh does not yet know if he will be healthy at that time. The Pirates can't call-up someone to replace a suspended player. Rob Mackowiak and Mike Benjamin will cover the 3B duties while Ramirez is injured and suspended.

Jason Kendall suffered a concussion last week, but everything seems to have worked out well. It was a very mild injury and he reportedly has not experienced any negative lingering effects. He was in a bad slump prior to the head injury, which occurred when he was hit in the mask with a foul tip on April 19th, and he has played much better following the concussion.

Last week the Pirates claimed IF Tomas de la Rosa off waivers from the Expos and signed UT Kevin Sefcik to a minor league contract. The 24-year-old de la Rosa has demonstrated acceptable plate discipline in the past but has grown a little more impatient at the plate recently. While he doesn't have power, he does possess good speed. Therefore it is even more important that he exercise good strike zone judgment so that he can utilize his baserunning skills.

At this point it seems as though additional time in the minors is merely frustrating de la Rosa. He's unlikely to develop into more than a bench player and is ready to contribute in that capacity now, so I see no reason to leave him in the minors. However, the Pirates already have a number of infielders on their bench. Although Pittsburgh would almost certainly benefit from having de la Rosa on the roster instead of Mike Benjamin, they won't demote Benjamin as he's making close to a million dollars this season.

The 31-year-old Sefcik can play both the outfield and infield, though he probably can't cover shortstop any more. He's disciplined at the plate but lacks both the power and speed skills that would make him stand out as a bench player. He'd be a better choice than Mackowiak, as the 25-year-old utilityman could really use another season in AAA to develop some strike zone judgment. However, Pittsburgh is unlikely to add him to the roster unless they suffer more injuries.

The Pirates' starting pitching has been surprisingly good this season, but Pittsburgh will still be pleased when Kris Benson is ready to come off the DL and rejoin the rotation. The team doesn't plan to have Benson, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, spend any time in the bullpen. He will instead immediately join the rotation once he has been cleared to return from the disabled list.

Benson's rehab was recently interrupted when he experienced pain in his right arm. The pain was in his forearm, not his elbow, and an MRI revealed only mild tendinitis in his triceps. He missed two rehab starts but has been cleared to resume throwing. Today's scheduled start will be delayed until Saturday, but that reportedly had nothing to do with his physical status. Pittsburgh erred and neglected to complete the necessary paperwork in time to have his rehab assignment extended.

The Pirates don't want to rush his return, so they plan to make him start three more minor league games before removing him from the DL. Consequently as long as he doesn't experience further setbacks, he should rejoin the rotation in the middle of May.