Andrew McCutchen Injury: Updates on Pirates Star's Elbow and Return

Andrew McCutchen will return to the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup Sunday against the Atlanta Braves after suffering an elbow injury when he was hit by a pitch on June 27.

On their official Twitter account, the Pirates confirmed that McCutchen was batting third and playing center field for the contest.

Jung-ho Kang replaced McCutchen after Braves starter Julio Teheran hit the 2013 NL MVP with a 91 mph fastball. Pittsburgh later announced that X-rays on the elbow were negative.

"I hate getting hit, but worse than that I guess pitchers don't like getting their ERAs run up, either," McCutchen said, relayed by Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review provided more comments from McCutchen:

McCutchen was originally unsure about his status for Sunday's game, according to Sawchik.

He has been one of baseball's most durable players since the Pittsburgh Pirates called him up in 2009, and there's no denying the impact he makes when he's on the field.

He's a 28-year-old monster who has posted a .300/.400/.500 slash line in each of the last three seasons. His 22 wins above replacement from 2012-14 rank second in baseball behind Mike Trout (28.8), per FanGraphs.

Entering Sunday's game, he sports a .295/.384/.490 line with nine home runs and 44 RBI.

The Pirates aren't an offensive juggernaut, finding success with pitching and defense, so McCutchen's ability with the bat is crucial to how manager Clint Hurdle puts the lineup together.