The Pirates are calling catcher Henry Davis up from Triple-A Indianapolis, MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf reports. No corresponding move is yet known, though Davis’ arrival is likely related to Joey Bart leaving yesterday’s game due to lower back discomfort.
Bart was the starting catcher in Pittsburgh’s 5-3 loss to the Reds, but he was replaced in the field prior to the bottom of the second inning. The Pirates described Bart’s status as day-to-day, yet having Davis on hand is a wise move even in the short term, so the team wouldn’t be entirely shorthanded behind the plate if backup catcher Endy Rodriguez also picked up an injury. More will be known later today on Bart’s status, and whether or not he might be headed to the 10-day injured list.
In any case, the situation has led to another big-league look for Davis, the first overall pick of the 2021 draft. Heralded for his batting ability at the University of Louisville, Davis has yet to show anything at the plate at the MLB level. After hitting .213/.302/.351 in 255 plate appearances in his 2023 rookie season, Davis had only a .144/.242/.212 slash line in 122 PA last year. His 2024 campaign was also marred by a pair of IL stints — one on the concussion-related injured list, and another due to hand inflammation.
Davis’ development has taken a few twists and turns, chiefly due to the Bucs’ experiment with Davis as an outfielder, as the team looked for ways to fit both Davis and another top catching prospect in Rodriguez into the lineup at the same time. This long-term view hit some immediate roadblocks, however, as Rodriguez missed the entire 2024 season due to UCL surgery, plus Bart (also a former top prospect during his time with the Giants) also broke out with solid numbers last year to claim the starting catching job.
The Pirates have now recommitted Davis to a catching-only path, while Rodriguez has seen a good chunk of action at first base in addition to serving as Bart’s backup this season. Perhaps regardless of how the fielding situation might develop, Davis isn’t going to stick in the Show unless he can hit, and it is still far too early to write Davis off at age 25. His minor league numbers also hint at the potential, as Davis has a .316/.417/.548 slash line and 15 homers over 346 career PA at the Triple-A level.
This could be Oneil Cruz to IL for his finger.
the article clearly states what happened to Bart, yet people are making wild assumptions
Bart had a collision at home plate a few days ago in the final game against the Cards. Wonder if this is a possible lingering affect from that. Hope Davis can at least be okay until Bart is good to go again, because he was off to a pretty solid start.
“having another Davis on hand is a wise move”
Another catcher, right??
I’m dying
I wondered that too.
You can never have enough Davises or enough pitching.
Eric? Yes.
Chili? Sure.
Storm? Okay.
Henry? TBD.
Bart was injured in last night’s game, taken out and Endy moved from first base to catcher
I hope Davis can add some offense to this team because they stink
Maybe we will see the REAL Davis
As long as it’s on Ike.
Not* Ike.
Davis has been great at every level except MLB. doesn’t mean he will be in the MLB but does show he has a decent chance at it.
Not great at catcher but good enough if he can hit at around league average
I’m always leery of hitters whose performance drops off after a stint on the concussion list. The potential of a small but permanent change in eyesight worries me.
In a figurative sense, Pirates management gave this kid numerous concussions with their mind games. I’m hoping he can succeed here but maybe a change of scenery is a better option
A change of scenery is good for the entire team.
Too bad the management staff can’t be relocated
First overall pick back in ‘21 and has yet show anything in pro ball. Sounds like he’s destined as a massive early first round bust as a first overall pick. Him and Moniak both
no one ever said that Cherington was a baseball whiz
And look at that draft, it was pretty stacked
The 2021 draft has only produced one All Star from the entire first round (Jackson Merrill), and most of the players have either not made it to the majors or haven’t shown they’re major contributors. It sucks to whiff on the number 1 pick but if they hadn’t taken Davis they would’ve taken Jack Leiter, who’s also nothing special so far.
They should have brought a few more up. No way they can keep running guys out there batting 150
I agree.
Shelton keeps using Suwinski yet he’s clearly shown that he isn’t major league caliber
Shelton can’t decide who to bat lead off as well having written 8 different lineups already
This offense is worse than last year’s which I never thought possible
Jack showed he wasn’t last year but yet a failure of an offseason is leading to an embarrassment on the field. The line up last night was horrendous. You can make an argument Indy fielded a better team last night
And we thought it was the hitting coach.
Maybe some of these guys just can’t hit no matter what.
I keep saying that yeah, player development has been horrendous but what about the scouts who evaluate talent? Ok, they’ve succeeded where young pitching is concerned but how is it that none of the kids they draft ever pan out at the MLB level? You’d think a blind squirrel gets an acorn once in a while. With the Pirates, the “rebuild” has apparently just come down to getting some warm bodies into the farm system
many of these players weren’t drafted by the Bucs so what does that say about those players who were drafted by another organization?
To me it says that the coaching staff has been a failure
Agreed. But to even get them, someone needed to scout and evaluate them to begin with. Not like they were brought in cold, off of the street
Think it’s a lot of both
The Bucs should trade Davis to a team that knows how to develop catchers while he’s still got some value.
you could say that about just about every player on this pathetic roster