Starling Marte Injury: Updates on Pirates Star's Hand and Return

Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Starling Marte left the team's Aug. 12 game against the St. Louis Cardinals with discomfort in his left hand, but he was able to return on Sunday against the Mets. MLB Lineups revealed Marte is batting second and playing center field.

Marte has appeared in 103 games for the Pirates this season, batting .287 with 13 home runs and 57 RBI. He's already equaled his home run output from last season, when he hit 13 homers in 135 games. 

Pittsburgh has missed Marte's speed on the basepaths during his short absence. He swiped a career-high 41 bases in 2013, following that up with 30 in the following season. He has 22 this year and has been an important asset to the team's success, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Marte was replaced by Sean Rodriguez on Wednesday, who is playing in his first season with the Pirates after coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays. Rodriguez is batting just .224 this season with three home runs and seven RBI in 93 games, but the club is surely thankful to have Marte back.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com