08/25/2008 7:07 PM ET No timetable for Alvarez's arrival Physical pending for No. 2 overall pick in 2008 Draft By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com == PITTSBURGH -- For all those wondering where Pedro Alvarez, the overall No. 2 pick in June's First-Year Player Draft, has gone, the answer is -- nowhere, just yet. Alvarez and the Pirates came to an agreement on a $6 million signing bonus in the final minutes before the Aug. 15 midnight deadline. The next chore was to bring Alvarez to Pittsburgh for his required physical, which must be taken care of before he can be assigned somewhere within the organization. Because of what has been termed as logistical issues, the former Vanderbilt standout still has not undergone that physical. And as of Monday, there is no set date for his impending arrival. Alvarez will be introduced to the media when he does travel to Pittsburgh. Because the signing process and these latest delays have lingered for so long, the Pirates are now quite limited in their immediate options when it comes to Alvarez. "The first thing is to see where he's at physically and see if there is anything we need to do to get him ready to play," said Kyle Stark, the Pirates' director of player development. The tentative plan is for Alvarez's first significant on-field work to take place during the team's month-long instructional league, which will begin on Sept. 17. From there, though, Alvarez's placement is unknown. There's the possibility that he could be sent to play in the Arizona Fall League, but that is by no means a definite course for the third baseman right now. "I think it's a possibility because of the level of competition that he has competed at," said Stark, referring to Alvarez's collegiate competition. "In terms of timing, though, we're just not sure if it's going to work out." The Pirates are required to send seven players to the AFL and may send a few more to be on the taxi squad. In addition, Stark confirmed that the Pirates will send six players (four position players and two pitchers) to Hawaii for winter ball. The Pirates will announce those assignments in the upcoming days. In other pertinent Minor League news, Stark announced that Bryan Morris, the highly touted Class A starter whom the Pirates acquired in the Jason Bay trade, will not start any more games for Hickory. Morris has had a minor recurrence of inflammation in his biceps, and though there is nothing structurally wrong, he will take a step back for this final week of the Minor League season. He is expected to participate in the instructional league. Morris made three starts for the Crawdads. The 21-year-old right-hander allowed eight earned runs in 14 1/3 innings, walking 12 and striking out 11. --

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