ST. LOUIS -- Gregory Polanco's been shut down, and there's no sign of if or when he might be restarted in 2019.
Todd Tomczyk, the Pirates' director of sports medicine, said in his weekly session with reporters here Wednesday morning that Polanco's rehabilitation stint has been ended with Class AAA Indianapolis because of new pain in his surgically repaired left shoulder. That arose in his second plate appearance Sunday while reaching for an outside pitch.
Polanco will return to Pittsburgh to see the team's doctors, after which further determination on his status will be made.
I asked Tomczyk to what degree this injury could be related to the original fall -- the devastatingly awkward slide last summer, you'll recall -- or if it pointed more toward scar tissue following the surgery. If it's the latter, that's probably best-case scenario, as it's common with a procedure that complex.
"Absolutely, this posterior shoulder soreness is related to the surgery," Tomczyk replied. "We're determining whether it's musculature, whether it's scar tissue. We're trying to identify that with our medical experts and put Gregory in the best place to resume playing this year."
Running through the long list:
• Jameson Taillon (elbow) did long-tossing off flat ground here Tuesday afternoon, as I'd reported. He took five tosses from the mound, but those weren't pitches, and Tomczyk confirmed Taillon remains on a flat-ground program. There were no issues.
• Steven Brault (shoulder) also threw here Tuesday afternoon, as I'd reported. He could try working off a mound this weekend in Pittsburgh, Tomczyk said.
• Keone Kela (shoulder) has made two appearances with Indianapolis and is scheduled for a third Thursday.
• Francisco Cervelli (concussion) is going through extensive exercises here with the team, including hitting, throwing, running and taking grounders. His aim is getting full clearance from both the Pirates' medical staff and Dr. Micky Collins, the specialist who treated Sidney Crosby, among others. Tomczyk emphasized, "This is a collaborative effort." There's no timetable for a return to game action of any kind.
• Rookie Davis (forearm) is throwing from 120 feet in Bradenton, Fla. He could work off a mound this weekend.
• Erik Gonzalez (hamstring) could resume his rehab stint with Indianapolis within the week.
I'm not mentioning Lonnie Chisenhall. Sorry.
