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The 2007 headlines from this site
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| Ryan Doumit's 2007 "We Will" banner outside the Pirates Home Stadium PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. |
Back in the game
Doumit to be activated: Beginning Saturday (Sept. 8), Tracy will once again have Ryan Doumit available
off the bench, if necessary. Doumit, who has been held out of action since spraining his left wrist on Aug. 13, has taken
batting practice for nearly a week now, and he has also passed tests catching both in the outfield and behind the plate.
Because rosters have expanded, activating Doumit will result in very little fanfare since no corresponding
roster move has to follow. But he should prove to be a valuable asset off the bench.
"I like the fact that if you're on the other side of the field and you see that name on that card, that can
obviously influence your decision as far as the bullpen is involved," Tracy said.
Now hitting; catching:
Jenifer Langosch, of MLB.com, reports Pittsburgh Pirates C Ryan Doumit (wrist) was able to catch with a
catcher's mitt Thursday, Sept. 6, and if he has no setbacks, he could return early next week.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Wednesday, Sept. 5:
Outfielder Ryan Doumit took live batting practice for the first time since his left wrist was injured
in mid-August.
From the P-G Tuesday, Sept. 4:
Outfielder Ryan Doumit has resumed taking swings, but he remains a week or two away from playing.
On Saturday, Sept. 1 Doumit was quoted in the Tribune as saying that after he swings, he'll
be "a few days away" from playing the game again.
Doumit: Gaining strength, swinging soon
C/OF Ryan Doumit, on the disabled list since Aug. 13 with a sprained left wrist, said he is regaining strength
in the hand and should be able to starting swinging a bat sometime this weekend. He is also hopeful of being activated no
later than the beginning of the next homestand next Friday night against the Chicago Cubs.
-From the Beaver County Times
Doumit progressing: Ryan Doumit continues to do a variety of exercises to strengthen his sprained left
wrist and is taking fly balls again in the outfield. Thought Doumit would have been eligible to come off the disabled list
last Wednesday, he still hasn't improved to the point where he can do anything functional with a bat.
There is no timetable set for when Doumit will begin hitting off the tee and progressing to the point where
he can take live batting practice again.
-from Pirates.com
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| Doumit was back with the team Aug. 29 for the four-game homestand against the Cinci Reds. |
Doumit cleared for strength work
Though Ryan Doumit will not be ready to come off the disabled list on Wednesday (Aug. 29) when he is
eligible, he received encouraging news about the progress of his sprained left wrist. Doumit had the splint removed on Monday
(Aug. 27), and he has been cleared by doctors to begin strength work, the first step in getting ready for on-the-field work.
"As he moves forward with that, that will obviously go a long way in determining how long he goes before getting
involved in functional activity -- hitting off the tee, being able to soft toss and then obviously take batting practice,"
Tracy said.
Feel the hope
The Pittsburgh Pirates players are astounding the media and smirking at the chronically critical "fans"
with their vocalized hopes of being more than spoilers as the season enters the final stretch.
Three runs away from the club's historic record of home runs in a month, smashing division contenders
with hot bats and solid fielding, the Pirates are on a tear to not just finish - but to climb.
Forget the bloggers, forget the critics - LET"S GO BUCS!
Here's to hoping the team's own-personal superman, Ryan Doumit, is healing well and will be back in
the dugout, on the field and at the plate soon.
Bummer: Doumit out another week
From the Post-Gazette and Bucco authority Dejan Kovacevic
DENVER -- The Pirates will be without right fielder Ryan Doumit longer than expected.
A second examination of his sprained left wrist prompted the team's medical staff to order him to not use
the wrist in any capacity for another week. The cast has been replaced by a soft splint, and Doumit is doing other exercises
in Bradenton, Fla., but he probably will not be allowed to swing a bat until the end of the month.
That, plus the rehabilitation stint that will follow, makes a mid-September return most likely.
"It will be the beginning of September at the very earliest," manager Jim Tracy said.
Tribune Media posted this Aug. 22:
DENVER - The Pirates had hoped to have Ryan Doumit (left wrist sprain/contusion) back in the lineup by the
end of this month, but his return has been pushed back to at least the first week of September.
Doumit was re-evaluated in Bradenton, Fla., by team doctors, who recommended another week of rest. Doumit's
cast was replaced by a lightweight immobilizer, and he is able to do light conditioning drills.
Special thanks from the administrator here for Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic's quick email response to
my frustrated inquiries about Doumit's status. Kovacevic is in Denver covering the Buccos and was also trying to get Doumit
news out of Bradenton. The fact that Doumit will not play against the Reds on Aug. 29 is nothing short of a shame (I have
tickets).
Doumit's splint expected to come off today
According to the Beaver County Times, Ryan Doumit should have the splint/cast removed from his left wrist
today (Aug. 20) and have it re-examined. Doumit has been out since the Aug. 13 game when he hurt the wrist making a play
in right field in the first of two games against the Giants. He hurt the wrist in the third inning but did not leave the game
until the sixth.
Here's what the Beaver County Times wrote for today (Aug. 20):
* C/OF Ryan Doumit, on the disabled list with a sprained and bruised left wrist, will be examined
by hand specialist Dr. Mark Baratz today and is expected to have the splint removed and begin range-of-motion exercises.
Doumit
said he is now pretty much free of pain.
"It's getting a little better every day," he said.
Doumit to get second opinion on wrist
On the day the Pirates placed Ryan Doumit on the 15-day disabled list, he received some welcome news,
too.
His left wrist injury, the result of a dive in the outfield Monday, proved to be nothing more than a sprained
ligament and accompanying bruise. An examination by Dr. Mark Baratz, the team's hand specialist at Allegheny General
Hospital, revealed no need for surgery.
Doumit will keep the wrist immobilized for five days and, later this week, visit a Florida doctor for a second
opinion. That doctor performed a hand surgery earlier in Doumit's professional career. Baratz will check him again next week.
If all goes well, Doumit could be return by the end of the month.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
Doumit goes on 15-day DL
Ryan Doumit was placed on the on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 14. Doumit
injured his left wrist Monday night, Aug. 13, while trying to make a diving catch in right field. Jim Tracy and a Pirates
Trainer went out to investigate, and Doumit was given a brace for his hand. In the same inning, the top of the third, he made
another great save in right field before the Pirates went to bat. In his next at bat, Ryan sent one to the tip of
the centerfield wall - former teammate Rajai Davis essentially robbed him of a homerun there. Doumit left the game in the
sixth inning.
He was examined Aug. 14 by Dr. Mark Baratz, a hand specialist, at Allegheny General
Hospital. On Tuesday afternoon the Tribune-Review was reporting Doumit will be looked at again in a week or when the swelling
goes down, and surgery is not necessary at this time, according to the Trib.
"(Doumit) is a tough piece to replace," Pirates manager Jim Tracy said. In an interview with Fox Sports
Tuesday, Tracy lamented the loss of Ryan's bat, his fielding and his overall presence on the team for the next few weeks.
Doumit intended for 18 innings
PITTSBURGH -- With the Pirates in the middle of a grueling stretch of 21 games in 20 days, which includes
Monday's (Aug. 13) makeup doubleheader against the Giants, Pirates manager Jim Tracy decided to get creative with his
lineup card.
However, the left wrist sprain Ryan Doumit suffered in the sixth inning of Game 1 put a kink in Tracy's overall
plan.
What didn't change was an opportunity for Josh Phelps to make his first start behind the plate since Oct.
5, 2001, when he crouched behind home plate in the second game of Monday's twin bill. Monday's start marked the 10th appearance
(fifth start) as a catcher for Phelps in his career.
Phelps' ability to be a third catcher -- and by no means simply an "emergency catcher" -- was arguably his
biggest selling point for the Pirates when they claimed him off waivers from the Yankees in June. Now, after Phelps has spent
more than two months with the team, Phelps has gained a sufficient understanding of the pitching staff and completed the battery
with Shane Youman on Monday night.
"He has caught a lot in the past and he has been catching a lot here as far as bullpens and things like that,"
Tracy said. "You've got a pitcher for him to catch that should be pretty easy for him to get his instinctive ability back.
You've got a guy on the mound who's not going to overwhelm you with stuff, he's going to overwhelm you with location."
Tracy intended to use Phelps as a catcher so that he could keep Doumit out from behind the plate and instead
use him for all 18 innings in right field. But Doumit jammed his left wrist trying to make a diving catch in the first game
of the doubleheader and was forced to exit the game following the next at-bat he took. Fortunately, the results of his X-ray
were negative.
"He was having problems," Tracy said of Doumit, who will have his wrist re-evaluated Tuesday. "The situation
continued to get worse."
Without Doumit's bat in the lineup, Tracy also wasn't able to spot second baseman Freddy Sanchez a breather
in the second game like the Pittsburgh manager originally intended. Jason Bay sat out the first game.
Tracy benefited from the defensive flexibility of his players on Monday, giving Jose Bautista his first start
of the season in left field. Then after Doumit's early exit, Jose Castillo moved from third to right, marking the first time
in his Major League career that Castillo has played in the outfield.
Littlefield has plans for Doumit's Pirates future
The Pirates have launched the Dave Littlefield Online Q&A exclusively on pirates.com. Fans can submit questions, and Dave will answer a limited number, posting the responses here at pirates.com on a regular basis.
Next year, will our outfield be Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Ryan Doumit or will Andrew McCutchen be our
center fielder?
-- Chad W., Bloomingdale, Ohio
Bay, Nady and Doumit will certainly be a part of our outfield next year, and we think we will have a productive
outfield offensively from that group. We've also been pleased with some of the play of Nate McLouth, are anxious to see Chris
Duffy get back on track and have high hopes for Nyjer Morgan, but unfortunately, he's been hurt for most of the season at
Triple-A.
We undoubtedly have high hopes for McCutchen and his future with the Pirates. It is difficult to say at this
point in time whether McCutchen will be in Pittsburgh next year or not, but we feel he is going to be an excellent ballplayer
for years to come.
Doumit: A must-have on the Pirates roster
Ryan Doumit worked his way into major league baseball right out of high
school, drafting high for the Pittsburgh Pirates and spending time working on their farm teams.
Some analysts call the catcher turned right-field a platoon player. Pirates Manager Jim Tracy has come to
appreciate Doumit as a worker and respect him not only for the type of everyday player Doumit is, but for his power with the
bat as well.
Bob Walk summed up Doumit's power during a recent road trip to play the Diamond-Backs in Arizona. The Phoenix
ballpark roof was open and Doumit was ahead in the count 2-1 when Walk said for the television and radio broadcast, "Doumit
is ahead in the count, the roof is open. He gets a fastball, he's thinking Yuma."
Ryan came into the MLB as a catcher, but has stated in interviews that he is falling in love with right
field more every day, and has been successful at it. His throwing arm turns the ball into a rocket that can reach from far
right to home plate in a hurry.
With just a few days off for a tender hamstring earlier this season and the wrist injury in August, Doumit
has found his way to a regular part of the Pirates roster and is rapidly proving to be a "must" have for the Pirates in 2008.
To see his current stats, find the stats page on this site.
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| Ryan Doumit is the Pirates back up catcher and also plays right field. |
Ryan Doumit Rated as the Pirates' #10 prospect and "Best Defensive Catcher" by Baseball America entering the 2004
season...Signed by Pirate scout James House.
Focus on to the Pirates future
Changes to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization continues with the decision by General Manager Neal Huntington
to release the Buc's skipper of two years, Jim Tracy, prior to the third year on his contract. Leaving with Tracy as of Oct.
5 are three other top positions in the organization. To learn the details of the dismissal and to hear Huntington's reasoning,
click on the "aritcles" link on the left navigation bar.
As the Pirates move forward, the decision of who will manage and the other key positions are expected sooner
rather than later so the organization can begin to focus on 2008.
The tentative schedule was released Oct. 10, and can be found by clicking on the "schedule" link in the
left navigation bar.
Big changes
In the past month, the Pittsburgh Pirates have hired a new President in Frank Coonelly and on Sept.
25 named Neal Huntington as the new general manager.
These changes are intended, according to the ownership, to change the culture of the organization to
one that is competitive next year and in the coming years as a team of contention.
How this affects the roster remains to be seen. For the information straight from the Pirates, click
on the articles page in the navigation bar on the lefthand side of this page.
Doumit to miss rest of season
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Sunday, Sept. 9 that catcher/outfielder
Ryan Doumit was diagnosed with a right high ankle sprain and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
The 26-year-old Doumit was activated from the DL prior to the Pirates' 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday
after he missed 26 days due to a wrist injury. Doumit was hurt after he entered the game in the fourth inning of Saturday's
contest and made a spinning throw to second base.
He was hitting .274 with nine home runs and 32 RBI in 83 games this season.
Pirates Manager Jim Tracy said Tuesday, following the MRI on Doumit's ankle, that the sprain was not as
bad as doctors first thought. He was being sent to Bradenton to rehab for 11 days with plans to return to Pittsburgh for the
Pirates final homestand of the season.
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