According to Andrew Destin of the Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Pirates will recall catcher Henry Davis, while placing catcher Joey Bart on the injured list. Bart hurt his left hamstring in Sunday’s game against the Reds trying to beat out a grounder to first.
This will be the third appearance for Davis in the majors this season. The former first overall pick has combined to hit .153/.267/.235 in his previous time at the big league level. That came with a 39.2% strikeout rate.
Davis has performed better in Triple-A, and lately has done so while cutting down on the strikeouts. Since the All-Star break, he’s batting .324/.385/.486 with a 16.1% strikeout rate with Indianapolis. He’s reached base safely in his last 12 games, with hits in ten of those games, including two doubles and two homers. During that two-plus week span, he’s hitting .347/.429/.510, while maintaining the 16% strikeout rate, and seeing his walk rate rise to 12.5%.
Bart has been one of the best performers on the Pirates roster this season, and one of the best hitting catchers in the league out of those with 200+ plate appearances. He was batting .272/.347/.497 with 12 homers. The 2018 second overall pick was acquired from the Giants at the start of the season, and is finally showing what made him such a high pick.
The Pirates were able to send down Davis for work in Triple-A due to Bart’s breakout season. Now, they’ll be able to turn to their own former high draft pick to replace Bart. The silver lining here is that Davis should get extensive time in the majors to see if he’s figured it out in Triple-A. Next season, the Pirates will have Bart, Davis, and Endy Rodriguez as their catching options. Davis can help secure his 2025 spot with a strong finish over the final month of the season.
