Pirates' Burnett expected to miss 4 weeks with flexor strain

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander A.J. Burnett received some relatively encouraging news about his troublesome right elbow Monday afternoon.

Though the 38-year-old is expected to miss four weeks after being diagnosed with a flexor strain, Burnett expressed relief that an MRI revealed no damage to his ulnar collateral ligament.

"Of all the news that could have come, this is the most positive," Burnett told reporters.

Slated to retire after the season, Burnett was placed on the disabled list Friday with inflammation in his right elbow and received a platelet-rich plasma injection Monday to promote healing.

"This is the news you want in order to get back on the mound," said Burnett. "If it was anything ligament-wise, I'd have to reconsider."

Still, the loss of Burnett is a major blow to the Pirates' rotation. An All-Star for the first time in his career in 2015, Burnett is 8-5 with a 3.06 ERA and 114 strikeouts across 135 1/3 innings.