Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata, who suffered a left quad strain on June 26 and has been on the disabled list since two days after that, has been activated by the team, according to Hardball Talk:

Tabata, who sat out the past seven weeks with a quadriceps injury, will resume starting in left field after hitting .265 with three homers, 14 steals and a .705 OPS in 71 games prior to the DL stint. He’s leading off for the Pirates tonight.

To make room on the 25-man roster for Tabata, the Pirates sent third baseman Pedro Alvarez to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Alvarez, who was the Pirates’ first pick and second overall pick in the 2008 draft, has been up and down between Pittsburgh and the minors this year, and in the major leagues he has been a disappointment; since his latest recall on July 25 he is hitting just 12-for-69 (.174) with 25 strikeouts and four walks. Overall in the major leagues this season his triple-slash is an ugly .196/.264/.284 with just three home runs in 194 at-bats. It’s too early for the Bucs to give up on the 24-year-old Alvarez, but he’s been a disappointment given his high draft position.