Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez underwent additional medical imaging on his left hand and arm Tuesday after leaving Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Valdez exited during the fourth inning of the 3-2 victory at PNC Park after being hit by a pitch.
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He went 0-for-1 before departing.
Manager Don Kelly noted that the pitch appeared to graze higher on Valdez's arm before striking his wrist area.
The rookie's status is day-to-day pending results.
“We're all praying for him,” said second baseman Brandon Lowe. “We hope for the best.
I'm not sure what's come out or anything else. We saw him earlier and we won so he was in good spirits.
I know it's an uncertain time for him. We're praying he gets the best news possible.”
Kelly highlighted the team's resilience following the injury, emphasizing the need for contributions across the entire 26-man roster.
“And that's what it's going to take,” said Kelly.
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“It's going to take all 26 guys to win games and get to where we want to go, and we need everybody pulling in the same direction.
I think we saw that tonight, especially with Valdy going down. There's adversity everywhere, and these guys have bounced back really good.”
Lowe praised Valdez's impact in his limited major league time, noting his nearly 1.000 OPS in about 30-40 games.
“Do I need to harp on that?” said Lowe.
“The kid's got, what, 30, 40 games under his belt and he's sitting around 1.000 OPS. That in and of itself is incredible.
He's been playing a great right field and it's not just the home runs. He's taking really mature at-bats.
He's been fantastic for us.”
The loss of Valdez leaves the Pirates thin on right-handed power hitting, though catcher Endy Rodriguez returned to action and delivered a key hit in the 10th inning Monday.
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The series against the Diamondbacks continued July 28 at PNC Park, with Pittsburgh right-hander Bubba Chandler facing Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.
