Pittsburgh Pirates centre fielder Starling Marte was put on the 10-day disabled list Friday because of a strained right side.

Marte injured his oblique Tuesday night in a win over the Chicago White Sox and sat out the next two games. The move was retroactive to Wednesday.

The Pirates did not give a timetable for Marte's return but manager Clint Hurdle said Friday that they do not expect it to be a prolonged absence.

Marte is hitting .308 with six homers, 19 RBIs and 10 stolen bases for the NL Central-leading Pirates.

Pittsburgh called up outfielder Austin Meadows from Triple-A Indianapolis before Friday night's game against San Diego. This is his first trip to the majors. He was listed in the starting lineup, batting seventh and in centre field.

The 23-year-old Meadows was hitting .294 with one homer and 15 RBIs in 32 games in the International League. He was the Pirates' first-round pick in the 2013 draft.

"I was in Triple-A just playing hard every day, developing confidence and keeping that confidence," Meadows said. "I was just laying it on the line every night and that's put me in a good spot coming here. I feel like I'm ready to play at this level."