Pirates notes
Nady to be tested for Crohn’s disease BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Xavier Nady will be tested Monday to determine whether he has a chronic digestive ailment.
Nady, hospitalized earlier in the week for an inflamed intestine, said Saturday that he told doctors that he has a cousin with Crohn’s disease, a lifelong condition that can cause pain in the digestive area and weight loss. The risk of having the disease is greater if it runs in the family.
“The doctors asked if anyone in the family had it, and we said, ‘No, we don’t think so,”‘ Nady said. “My mom called when I got released (from the hospital Thursday) and said we just found out one of my cousins had it. So … we will see.”
The doctors’ immediate diagnosis was a viral infection in the intestine.
Nady said he began to feel stomach pain Sunday night and told the Pirates’ medical staff about it Tuesday. He checked into Manatee Memorial Hospital near the team’s spring training facility on Tuesday night and checked out Thursday.
“It’s getting better,” Nady said. “I’m on a limited diet, but I’m able to eat without having stomach pains. It just goes through phases where it hits me every once in a while like a ton of bricks, and I hunch over.”
Nady said he did not feel the pain before Sunday, but added that it was similar to what he experienced in the five days leading up to an emergency appendectomy on May 30. It is not known whether the two ailments are related.
Nady appeared in full uniform with the Pirates for their two-hour workout Saturday at Pirate City, but did not participate in any activities.
The Pirates traded for Nady on July 31, sending pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez to the New York Mets in return. Nady hit .280 with 63 RBIs last season in 130 games with the Mets and Pirates, including 61 hits in 55 games with Pittsburgh.
NOTES : Outfielder Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates’ top prospect, who missed the past two workouts to a minor stomach ailment, returned Saturday. …Fifteen pitchers worked bullpen sessions and threw live batting practice.