The Pirates return to action Friday against the Nationals. After having virtually no days off in the two-month run-up to the All-Star Game, the Pirates will have three days off leading up to the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline, and they will be off that day as well. The schedule and the impending roster crunch provide Neal Huntington opportunities and challenges in dealing with the 25- and 40-man rosters.
Let's speculate about how things may play out over the next 16 days. Here is the Pirates' current active roster, plus players on the disabled list and some others who have been active this year as of Thursday:
Catchers (2): Eric Fryer, Erik Kratz
Infielders (7): John Jaso, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, Jung Ho Kang, David Freese, Sean Rodriguez, Josh Bell
Outfielders (5): Gregory Polanco, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Matt Joyce, Adam Frazier
Starters (4): Francisco Liriano, Jeff Locke, Jon Niese, Chad Kuhl
Relievers (7): Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Neftali Feliz, Juan Nicasio, Arquimedes Caminero, A.