Pirates' Diaz rested for two weeks over illness

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Elias Diaz has been shut down from baseball activities because of an undisclosed illness, jeopardizing his status for the start of the season, according to a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He will be limited to no activities for a couple of weeks," Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said to the newspaper.

Diaz, 28, hit .286 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in 82 games last season. He is a .256 career hitter in parts of four seasons for Pittsburgh. The right-handed hitter is working with the team's medical staff in Bradenton, Fla. He has missed a week because of undisclosed symptoms that forced him to leave a team workout Feb. 20.

Diaz was expected to begin the season as the backup for No. 1 catcher Francisco Cervelli. If Diaz starts the season on the injured list, his most likely replacement on the 25-man roster will be Jacob Stallings, who has appeared in 24 games with the Pirates over the past three seasons.