Pirates rookie 3B Hayes to IL with wrist injury 

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is headed to the 10-day injured list because of inflammation in his left wrist, manager Derek Shelton announced Sunday.

X-rays on Hayes’ wrist were negative but an MRI showed the inflammation, Shelton said. Hayes was replaced in the Pirates’ lineup against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday by Phillip Evans.

Speaking during his pregame media availability, Shelton called Hayes day to day but said that Hayes experienced more discomfort while he worked out before Pittsburgh’s series finale at Chicago, so the team decided to put him on the IL as a precaution.

“Today, when we ran him through some baseball activities, it was just the squeezing of the glove,” Shelton told reporters, according to MLB.com. “So because of that, we decided that 10 days was more worthwhile.”

Hayes suffered the injury after taking an awkward swing in the first inning of the Pirates’ 5-1 loss to the Cubs on Saturday. Hayes, 24, eventually drew a walk but then was attended to at first base after sliding back into the bag with his left hand to avoid a tag.

Shelton said Saturday the knob of Hayes’ bat caused the initial injury, which was aggravated on the slide.

Hayes is one of the preseason favorites for National League Rookie of the Year after having a hot spring training. He homered in his first at-bat of the season in Thursday’s Opening Day win by the Pirates.

Utilityman Wilmer Difo is expected to be promoted from the taxi squad to the active roster. But the Pirates were still working on a corresponding move to create a 40-man roster spot.

Hayes, the son of former big league infielder Charlie Hayes, made his big league debut last summer. He batted .376 with five homers and 11 RBIs in 24 games.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.