The Pittsburgh Pirates lost the three-game series on the road after falling to the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 on Sunday. The Pirates finish the season 27–32 and are only one game above the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Central cellar.
According to Jason Mackey of The Post-Gazette, the Pirates chose to bring up Henry Davis again following the series defeat.
Henry Davis, a catcher for Triple-A Indianapolis, is anticipated to return to Pittsburgh this week, beginning with a series against the Dodgers starting Tuesday, according to a source who spoke with the Post-Gazette on Sunday. This will put his remarkable results to the test.
Having been selected first overall in the MLB Draft of 2021, Davis entered the 2024 season with the expectation of contributing to the Pirates. But in an attempt to gain extra work, Davis was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis at the beginning of May.
Thus, the Pirates are promoting him back to the big-league team a month later. Grant Koch, who just made his Major League debut, is anticipated to be sent to Triple-A, though Pittsburgh hasn’t made a formal announcement on the matter.
For the Pirates, Henry Davis’ Triple-A hitting is good news.
Davis showed tremendous progress with the bat after being demoted to Triple-A in May. In 81 at-bats in Triple-A, Davis hit.296 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, and an incredible 1.078 OPS.
They are hopeful that Davis, who hit just.162 with 29 strikeouts in 83 at-bats during the MLB season, can find more comfort at the plate and offer the Pirates an offensive spark.
Yasmani Grandal was acquired by the Pirates over the offseason, then when Joey Bart’s contract with the San Francisco Giants expired, they traded for him. Bart will be gone for a while due to his recent placement on the Injured List, therefore Davis will likely get increased playing time. Bart had been having a great season, hitting.267 with four home runs and twelve RBIs, which included a grand slam on May 23 against the Giants, his old team.
Grandal has also been a poor hitter, batting only.179 with two home runs and eleven RBIs. As a result, the Pirates are looking for greater offensive production from the catcher position. In his first Major League Baseball at-bat, Grant Koch went hitless in seven games.
It will be interesting to watch whether Henry Davis gets the start at catcher on Tuesday when the Pirates open a six-game homestand against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. Henry Davis may secure the starting position behind the plate if he performs well.
