CHICAGO -- Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole expressed confidence hell return this season after returning to the team and playing catch Tuesday.Cole was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday and traveled to Los Angeles for a second opinion with a specialist, who confirmed posterior elbow inflammation.This is very encouraging news, Pirates trainer Todd Tomczyk said. He is now focused on how he is going to help this team win some ballgames the rest of the season.Cole, 7-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 20 starts, played catch in right field with Tomczyk before Tuesdays 3-0 loss to the Cubs as pitching coach Ray Searage looked on.Its comforting to have confirmation that youll be OK, Cole said.Cole is on the DL retroactive to last Thursday, meaning he is eligible to return Sept. 9.?Cole had a 6.08 ERA in five August starts and said he alerted the team of a level of discomfort that was concerning after allowing five runs and seven hits in five innings last Wednesday against Houston.Tomczyk said its uncertain how Cole was injured. He missed time in spring training with sore ribs and spent more than a month on the disabled list earlier this season with a strained right triceps.That is an ongoing discussion. He did have a slow start to the season with the rib injury, Tomczyk said. That could be a factor. And theres the assumed risk of throwing a baseball.Coles absence means all five starters from the beginning of the season are no longer in Pittsburghs rotation. Yet the Pirates remain in the thick of the playoff race, trailing?St. Louis?by two games for the second NL wild card.?Its like coming back from a road trip and your wife has rearranged the furniture, manager Clint Hurdle said. After you bump your shin a couple times, youve got to find a different way to cross the living room.Weve had to find a different way to get across the room this year. And its been a really good opportunity to learn.Also on Tuesday, the Pirates recalled infielder Alen Hanson and selected left-hander Kelvin Marte from Triple-A Indianapolis.To make room on the active roster Tuesday, right-hander Jameson Taillon and left-hander Steven Brault were optioned to Class A Bristol in the Appalachian League.To make room on the 40-man roster for Marte, left-hander Kyle Lobstein was designated for assignment.This will be Hansons second stint with the Pirates this season. He singled off Atlantas Bud Norris for his first major league hit on May 17 before being optioned back to Indianapolis two days later.In 110 Triple-A games this season, Hanson has batted .266 with 15 doubles, seven triples, eight home runs, 32 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.The 28-year-old Marte has no major league experience. In 34 appearances with Indianapolis, Marte is 4-3 with two saves and a 3.67 ERA. He made his last three appearances as a starter, going 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.? USA Soccer Store . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Stitched USA Soccer Jerseys . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. USA Soccer Shirts .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. Fake USA Soccer Jerseys . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Port Adelaide expect ruckman Matthew Lobbe and speedster Matt White to return from long-term injuries this weekend.Lobbe hasnt played for 10 weeks because of a knee injury while White hasnt featured since tearing a pectoral muscle in Ports AFL season-opening game.Ports high performance manager Darren Burgess says both are expected to rreturn this weekend, most likely in state league ranks, while Brad Ebert will face a fitness test later this week after suffering bruised ribs in the Powers loss to Hawthorn last Thursday night.dddddddddddd ' ' '