UPDATE: Pedro Alvarez was indeed placed on the 15-day disabled list, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
1:15 PM: According to Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have dispatched minor league infielder Pedro Ciriaco to Pittsburgh for tonight’s game against the Tigers. The Pirates have yet to announce an official roster move, but Dunlap speculates that Ciriaco could take the place of Pedro Alvarez on the active roster.
Alvarez missed last night’s game with tightness in his right quadriceps, the very same injury that sidelined him for four games earlier this month.
While Alvarez showed plenty of promise last season by batting .256/.326/.451 with 16 homers and 64 RBI over his first 386 major league plate appearances, he’s been a major disappointment so far in 2011. The 24-year-old is currently batting just .202 with two homers, 10 RBI and 42 strikeouts over his first 125 at-bats while his seven errors are tied with Mark Reynolds for the most among major league third basemen.