A.J. Burnett Injury: Out 8-12 Weeks

Burnett's broken orbital bone was worse than we thought.

Everyone should have known this was going to happen. Pirates get decent player with chance to help out, player goes down with injury. A.J. Burnett’s timetable for recovery was placed in the initial 5 week group, the same timetable Steelers linebacker James Harrison was put into.

However, Pirates reports say today that Burnett will miss 8-12 weeks under a three step process. Burnett needs to recovery from the surgery, recondition his arm and body, and then go through the same progression he would have this Spring. Overall, Burnett will miss anywhere between 5 to 7 starts pending no complications.

The positive news is that the Pirates has depth in the rotation and missing Burnett whittles the rotation down to five players expected to start. Charlie Morton’s recovery seems to be going well and now more then ever hope is high that he will be able to come back in time to be one of the five starters.

Yes, the news is bad and Burnett was going to be a bright ray of optimism for the Pirates. This injury only means that Burnett will be delayed, which could help. Think about it: Burnett will be coming on fresh in May rather than April, so hopefully less innings than last year with a new environment will mean more success and a fresh arm into September.

Regardless, everyone is hoping for a recovery that follows schedule and that the Pirates can survive their rough April without A.J.