Right-hander Casey Sadler, the only pitcher outside the current rotation other than Vance Worley to make a start for the Pirates this season, continues to struggle with a forearm strain and remains on the Triple-A Indianapolis disabled list.

Sadler, who went on the DL on June 22, visited Dr. James Andrews Thursday for a second opinion and received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right forearm/elbow area, the Pirates said. He's expected to miss another six to eight weeks.

“Casey's scuffling a little bit,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “Unfortunately, (he's having) probably more bad days than good days right now. … We're trying to give him some clarity, give us some clarity as to what is going on in there and why he's continuing to have some discomfort.”

Sadler had a 4.22 ERA in 13 starts with Indianapolis this season. He allowed two runs and four hits in a five-inning outing with the Pirates on April 12.

Mercer, J-Hay get reps

Before Sunday's game, both Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison spent time fielding grounders as part of their rehabilitation from injuries.

Harrison, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb July 8, wore a glove on his left hand and corralled batted balls in the infield.

Mercer, who went on the disabled list July 20 with a sprained ligament in his left knee, completed less rigorous drills, as he simply bent down to snag hand-thrown grounders in the outfield.

“Cutting will be the tough thing,” Mercer said. “I think I could run pretty fast in a straight line right now.”

Initial recovery timelines for both project returns in late August or early September.

“If I'm going to bet on the under in terms of return, the two guys I'm going to bet on are Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison,” Huntington said. “The glove (for Harrison) is more of a protection mechanism than anything else. It's not indicative that he's light years ahead of schedule. But again, he's making great progress.”

Trade winds

Industry sources told Trib Total Media the Pirates have checked into Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli as possible trade targets. The non-waiver trade deadline is Friday.

Napoli, 33, is having a career-worst season at the plate with the Boston Red Sox. A right-handed hitter, he is batting .205 with a .674 OPS.

However, Napoli's 2.0 ultimate zone rating per Fangraphs is third-best among American League first basemen. Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez has a minus-12.3 UZR.

Victorino, 34, has been limited to 34 games this season because of injuries and it hitting .245 with a .622 OPS. He still is owed about $5 million on his $13 million contract and will be a free agent after this season.

Last week, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington acquired third baseman Aramis Ramirez to shore up the injury-depleted infield.

“We'd still like to add to this club,” Huntington said Sunday. “We've shored up what we felt was our biggest soft spot. We'll continue to look.”

Patience with Glasnow

No longer hampered by the ankle injury that caused him to miss almost a month from mid-May to mid-June, Tyler Glasnow this month restored his reputation as a power-pitching right-hander and the Pirates' top pitching prospect. He accumulated 34 strikeouts and allowed just seven runs in 23 innings with Double-A Altoona in his first four July starts.

Those numbers, though impressive, failed to get Huntington to hint at any upcoming promotion for Glasnow.

“The last two starts are indicative that he's as healthy as he's going to be,” Huntington said. “Our goal is to refine some things in the mechanics, refine some things with the repeatability in the mechanics to allow the changeup and the breaking ball to play better,” Huntington said. “Once he accomplishes the things we feel he needs to accomplish to get to the next level, we'll move him to the next level.”

Lambo's setback

Hopes for a string of rehab starts flamed out quickly for bench bat Andrew Lambo, whose plantar fasciitis flared up almost immediately after he received an assignment to join the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates on Tuesday.

Huntington said Lambo, who went on the disabled list May 4 with the nagging condition in his left foot, received an anti-inflammatory injection from a doctor and will need to shut down activity for the next three weeks.

“He was progressing into some baseball activity and was progressing well,” Huntington said. “(Then) he came in with similar pain to what he had the first time we shut him down.”

Sellers outrighted

Justin Sellers finished a lengthy stint on the disabled list Friday, only to finally see his name finally disappear from the Pirates' 40-man roster.

Sellers, an infielder whose trouble with left heel pain started in spring training and continued through the season's first three-plus months, was sent to Indianapolis outright upon finishing his rehabilitation.

The 29-year-old made five rehab starts with High-A Bradenton, one with Triple-A Indianapolis and seven with the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates.

Sellers was acquired from the Cleveland Indians last fall.

Staff writer Rob Biertempfel contributed to this report. Bill West is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at wwest@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.

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