Multiple media members are reporting that catcher Kevin Plawecki no longer has a locker with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are a week away from Opening Day with 40 active players on the Spring Training roster coming into today.
Catcher Kevin Plawecki’s locker is empty at LECOM Park. Pirates have not yet announced it, but he was told he will not make the team. He has an opt-out if he’s not on roster by Saturday.
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) March 23, 2023
According to Rob Biertempfel, Plawecki was told that he will not make the team out of Spring Training. His minor league contract came with an opt-out clause, allowing him to become a free agent if he wasn’t on the 40-man roster by this Saturday. It appears that the decision has been made already. No official announcement has been made yet.
The 32-year-old Plawecki went 4-for-17 with two doubles and no walks over eight games this spring. He hit .220/.286/.286 in 63 games last year, finishing the year with a -1.2 WAR.
The current Spring Training roster (besides Plawecki) only has Jason Delay and Tyler Heineman left to battle for the backup spot behind Austin Hedges. Delay and Heineman did a majority of the work behind the plate for the 2022 Pirates.
