Pirates' Harrison to miss 6 weeks with hand fracture
Josh Harrison could be out of the Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup until June after taking a pitch off his left hand Sunday, as the versatile 30-year-old has been diagnosed with a fractured fifth metacarpal and is expected to miss roughly six weeks.
Harrison didn't play in the final month of the 2017 campaign after fracturing the exact same bone. He wasn't wearing a cast or brace following Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins, but the second baseman said he was "pretty frustrated" after Jose Urena's errant 96-mph fastball forced him to exit in the third inning, according to MLB.com's Glenn Sattell. He was evaluated by a hand specialist Monday in Pittsburgh.
In Harrison's absence, the Pirates will likely have Adam Frazier and Sean Rodriguez split duties at second. Though Harrison has spent considerable time at multiple positions over the years, he has exclusively played second base in 2018.
Through 14 games this season, Harrison is hitting .263/.328/.351 (89 OPS+) with one home run, two doubles, and one stolen base.