BRADENTON, Fl. -- Cole Tucker, the first round pick for the Pirates in 2014, went down at the end of the 2015 season with labrum surgery. The procedure was originally supposed to keep Tucker out for 10-12 months, which would have put him returning to action late in the 2016 minor league season. However, Tucker seems to be well on the early side of things, and might even return much sooner than the original timeline.
"It's going to be sooner, rather than later," Tucker said of his return. "I feel really good. Everything has been smooth so far with the rehab process, and everyone has been great -- the training staff and the front office staff, my rehab team back home.