The Pirates introduced this night that they’ve positioned catcher Henry Davis on the seven-day concussion IL. Catcher Jason Delay was recalled from the minor leagues to take Davis’s spot on the energetic roster. Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Submit-Gazette first reported earlier right now that Delay was becoming a member of the Pirates in Denver.
Davis, 24, was chosen by the Pirates first total within the 2021 draft. He made his big-league debut with Pittsburgh final 12 months however has usually struggled on offense in 91 video games within the majors over the previous two years with a .197/.292/.319 slash line in 357 profession journeys to the plate. These struggles on the plate have been mixed with considerably lackluster marks behind the plate;
Davis was truly used virtually solely as an outfielder in his first style of big-league motion final 12 months, however an offseason damage to Endy Rodriguez allowed Davis to work his method again into the combination for begins at catcher. In 27 video games on the place this season, Davis has posted -2 Defensive Runs Saved.
The teenager nonetheless figured to work in tandem with veteran Yasmani Grandal whereas Joey Bart was on the injured record attributable to a thumb difficulty. These plans have been scuttled, nevertheless, when Davis was struck within the face masks by a foul ball throughout yesterday’s recreation towards the Rockies. Davis went by concussion protocol after the sport, and evidently the Pirates had sufficient concern that they felt it finest to position him on the IL.
The seven-day injured record for concussions provides groups further flexibility when coping with attainable concussions, providing them the chance to shelve a participant for only one week to reduce the inducement for gamers to attempt to play by what might wind up being a harmful head damage.
With Davis now out for a minimum of the subsequent week, the Pirates will flip to Delay to fill out their catching corps. The 29-year-old was a fourth-round choose by the Pirates again in 2017 and broke into the massive leagues with the membership again in 2022 as the first backup to Roberto Perez, though he shortly stepped into a bigger function when Perez suffered a season-ending damage. Delay remained a key piece of the membership’s catching combine in 2023 alongside Austin Hedges and Rodriguez, providing provided high quality framing expertise regardless of his lackluster offense (68 wRC+ in 354 journeys to the plate).
Delay discovered himself buried by the acquisitions of Bart and Grandal on the membership’s depth chart heading into the 2024 season and in the end appeared in only one recreation this 12 months earlier than struggling a knee damage. Delay in the end required surgical procedure again in April and missed six weeks whereas rehabbing the damage, however was reinstated from the 60-day IL earlier this month and has been enjoying on the Triple-A degree whereas awaiting his subsequent alternative since then.
That chance has now arrived, and Delay figures to function the backup to Grandal for the massive league membership for a minimum of the subsequent week, although neither Davis nor Bart has a selected timetable for his or her return to motion.
