Cervelli changes course, hopes to catch again despite concussions

Francisco Cervelli may not be ready to hang up his tools of ignorance after all.

Just a few days after he seemed to close the door on his career as a catcher because of concussions, the Pittsburgh Pirates veteran reversed course Friday in an Instagram post.

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“Saying that I quit from my catcher responsibilities is inaccurate. My hope is to catch again. Not being in the catcher spot right now is part of the process of recovery from several concussions that have forced me to stop and think about my health beyond my baseball years, that have made me reflect on my health and my life in general and how my decisions affect other people that want the best for me in the long run. I keep working hard, there’s no other way for me to do things. I love baseball but I also have to take care of myself. I want to take care of myself and have quality of life now and hopefully from many more years This requires to reinvent myself, have patience and keep working In other words, to my fans, rest assured that I am working hard on my recovery and I will come back with more strength and the same passion I have always had for this sport. That, I can assure you: I have nothing other than passion, gratitude and love for what I do, for this sport. This isn’t just a job for me. This is part of my life and I can’t live my life without injecting passion and energy, heart and mind into what I do, whatever that is. " Decir que “renuncié” a ser catcher es exagerado 😐. . Que no esté en la receptoría ahora mismo, es parte de mi proceso de recuperación de varias contusiones que me han obligado a parar y pensar en mí mismo más allá de mi carrera; que me han hecho reflexionar sobre mi salud y mi vida, y que involucra a muchas personas que quieren lo mejor para mí 🙂. . Yo, por mi parte, sigo trabajando duro, no puedo hacerlo de otra forma. Amo el beisbol, pero también quiero cuidarme y vivir una vida de calidad ⚾. . Eso implica reinventarme, tener paciencia y seguir trabajando. . Así que tranquilos, que me estoy recuperando y regresaré con más fuerza 💪🏽 y las mismas ganas de siempre, porque eso sí tengo yo: ganas, pasión y amor por lo que hago 🤛🏼. Esto no es un simple trabajo para mí, esto es parte de mi vida y yo no puedo vivir mi vida de otra manera que no sea poniéndole el corazón y pasión a lo que hago, sea lo que sea.

A post shared by Francisco Cervelli (@fran_cervelli) on Jul 12, 2019 at 5:39pm PDT

"Saying that I quit from my catcher responsibilities is inaccurate," Cervelli wrote. "My hope is to catch again.

"Not being in the catcher spot right now is part of the process of recovery from several concussions that have forced me to stop and think about my health beyond my baseball years, that have made me reflect on my health and my life in general and how my decisions affect other people that want the best for me in the long run."

Cervelli has been on the injured list since suffering the sixth concussion of his major-league career from a foul tip off his mask May 25. He's been rehabbing since but has yet to be cleared by the league's concussion protocol.

Given the circumstances, the 33-year-old said in an interview Sunday that his catching days were now behind him.

"That's enough," Cervelli told Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports. "This time is different. I can't live like this.

"I'm ready to do anything. Wherever I am in the field, I'm still catching the ball, right?"

Cervelli is a career .269/.358/.376 hitter over 700 major-league games. He was in the midst of a poor start to his season before his concussion, posting a .526 OPS with just one homer and 31 strikeouts in 123 plate appearances.

Cervelli changes course, hopes to catch again despite concussions

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