After a month at Triple-A Indianapolis, former first overall pick Henry Davis is headed back to the majors, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link) reports that the Pirates are calling Davis up in advance of their next game on Tuesday against the Dodgers. The corresponding move isn’t yet known, but it seems likely that backup catcher Grant Koch will be optioned to Triple-A a few days after making his big league debut.
Davis, the first overall pick of the 2021 draft, hit .213/.302/.351 over 255 plate appearances after making his MLB debut last season. Davis only played as a catcher in two games during his rookie season, but headed into 2024 slated for a heavier workload behind the plate once fellow rookie catcher Endy Rodriguez underwent season-ending UCL surgery during the offseason. Injuries to Yasmani Grandal and Jason Delay further cleared the path for more playing time for Davis at catcher, but the struggles continued both offensively and defensively.
Pitch-framing remains an issue for Davis, and the Defensive Runs Saved metric rates him a -2 based on his 184 1/3 innings at catcher this season. With the bat, Davis has hit only .162/.280/.206, and struck out in 29 of his 83 plate appearances.
The decision was made on May 3 to send Davis to Indianapolis for more seasoning, and Davis has responded by hitting .286/.433/.649 with seven home runs over 97 PA. While Davis torched minor league pitching during his initial trip up the Pirates’ pipeline, it should be noted that Davis had only 63 PA at Triple-A when the Bucs first promoted him last season. It could be that he was simply brought up a bit too soon, even if Davis also might’ve forced the Pirates’ hand by looking like he had little left to prove in the minors.
Delay just started a minor league rehab assignment, so while he is eligible to be activated from the 60-day IL later this week, he’ll need quite a bit of time to get ramped up after missing almost the entire season due to meniscus surgery. Joey Bart was also just placed on the 10-day IL with a thumb injury, while Grandal is healthy but has struggled badly at the plate. With this lack of depth and Davis’ overall import as a cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s rebuild, he should have plenty of runway for playing time as the team’s regular catcher. Andrew McCutchen has the everyday DH spot pretty well covered, so while Davis could conceivably get some more work as an outfielder if the Pirates are looking for ways to get his bat into the lineup, the likeliest scenario is that Grandal just moves into a backup role.
Buccos need to find out where they can play Henry. If he’s not capable at the MLB level, then move on.
I didn’t read anything here that says he is not capable at the MLB level. It says he still struggles with pitch framing not that it makes him uncatchable. Before they said he couldn’t block and from some reports (I have no in person knowledge) it seems he is better at that now. From hearing just a few quotes, he seems to thrive on involvement / catching etc.. I hope they put him where he seems comfortable as they did his first go around this year in the majors and just let him play.
That can be said about more players than just Davis, moving on from those who can’t hit or field at the major league level
Michael A Taylor can’t hit his weight
Rowdy, Grandal and Taylor are all hitting below the Mendoza line
Using your logic, they should cut ties with half of their starting lineup
Move on? He was drafted just a few years ago. He has less than 300 career ABs. It would be insane to move on from the #1 overall draft pick already.
Pirates please put him at catcher this time around don’t do the same mistake again by putting him in right
At the very least make him the backup catcher. That has value because you don’t have to waste a roster spot on that if he can handle it.
He was a number one draft pick, he’s not going to be the backup catcher
Do you proof read your nonsense before posting them?
He would backup the catcher spot, play some outfield and spend some time at DH. Good lord dude stop getting so defensive.
They wasted a roster spot for Taylor and he certainly can’t handle swinging at pitches for a hit
5 XBH in 46 games, 1 homer and 9 rbi to go along with his 50 strikeouts
Hardly deserving of a roster spot let alone being in the starting lineup against lefties
Taylor has a track record of success. And if Taylor isn’t playing center then who is?
Suwinski’s demise makes CF a real problem. I’m sure they hoped—and still hope—that Bae is the answer. But with nothing coming up through the minors, they have some real problems if they don’t open the checkbook this off season
Taylor’s track record is in the form of defense. Like Alika Williams, that kind of luxury is nice for teams that contend and are looking to hold leads in late innings. On a team that has a problem hitting, that’s a luxury and a roster spot that would be better filled with hitters
Value is value. Taylor has a track record of being a valuable player. It doesn’t matter if he helps more with the glove or bat he’s been a valuable player for years just not this year.
Value is value…as determined by the needs of a given team
Chapman has value to someone in the pennant chase come deadline time
His value here is minuscule
Tellez likely somehow has value as a left handed bat off the bench or spot DH. But not to a team struggling to get hits, let alone runs
Taylor and Williams have great defensive value. But the value of occupying roster spots instead of players who can provide power or offense is lessened here
No amount of pretzel logic is going to change that. Using your logic, surrounding Keller, Skenes, Jones and Falter with Gold Gloves at each position is a winning formula, even if each struggles to hit at the Mendoza Line
I agree. Taylor has value as a strong defensive player. It’s just that said value is diminished by the glaring needs of this team
When it comes to center you need someone out there who knows what he’s doing. If you don’t have that the guy will potentially get hurt. The Cardinals have rotated guys in center and it has led to injuries for ONeill, Nootbaar, Carlson and Edman. Center is not a position you can just throw anyone out there. If you need offense get it from the corner outfield spots or 1b or DH.
Agree 100%
The argument some made here in defending Suwinski was that his offensive stats were among the best in the majors. That was almost amazing
Your assertion about the corners is well stated. The Pirates need that too and it only adds to the argument as to why signing Tellez, Grandal and Taylor made little sense. It’s not like they didn’t have the same problems last season
I get that there aren’t too many Judges, Trouts, J-Rods or even Michael Harrises around these days. But with a strong starting pitching staff falling into place, this franchise needs to find offensive upgrades
1b is the clear place the Pirates can improve the offense. Reynolds is at one corner the other could perhaps use some help if Davis isn’t playing there. Bart was looking good before he got hurt. 1b is a gaping hole that’s the position to upgrade no doubt.
Apparently your definition of success is hitting .195 and averaging at least one strike out per game
They are grooming Bae to play center field and has looked good in the minimum amount he’s played there
Yes, Taylor plays an impressive center field role but he can’t hit for much and this team is near the bottom of the league in runs scored
Making excuses for Taylor’s offensive failures says alot about what you know about this team’s overall offensive struggles
Bae has a worse OPS than Taylor does.
This franchise hasn’t had a power hitting first baseman since, and this is only a guess, Jason Thompson. He played I believe in the early 1980’s
Considering that they haven’t drafted one in the past decade who could hit, unless you count Will Craig ( cough cough).
Of course he had problems knowing which base to throw to when there’s a runner on third base
Bae has only played in a handful of games, Taylor, 46 games
Reynolds has become an enigma to me. The guy who hit .300 a few times and 20-25 bombs is gone, it appears. That version of Reynolds had a keen eye, generally was successful at bringing in runners in scoring position and was difficult to K
I see now that this is the point where you and I see things differently. I’m not sure you can rely on Reynolds for consistency anymore. He’s a lot like Hayes and really, Cruz. These are guys I’m looking at as being .250 hitters. Is that good enough to be the cornerstone of your offense? I guess it’s possible if the starting pitching is dominant
But they have gaping holes here offensively that don’t have an internal answer other than “if he hits”
Joe
Davis
Olivieres
And you wonder how long Cutch will go
Pretty sad that the team leader in home runs, granted he’s tied with Reynolds, is 37 years old
I guess we’re not including his missed fly ball that cost the Bucs the win on Saturday.
I think Reynolds should be batting further down in the order. He isn’t an offensive threat batting second and in my opinion, presses to get on base by way of a hit.
Joe shouldn’t be at #3 and Cruz certainly isn’t the typical cleanup hitter either
He’s accumulating strikeouts at a Suwinski pace
Pinky…you are a cardinals fan…stick to posting your nonsense on pirate posts. Your nonsensical posts are making you look like one of supporters of small hand fellon
What have I said that’s incorrect, untrue or even biased in any way?
I’m still missed about the 14 inning game against Toronto. First, starting a runner on second each inning is totally asinine. But those are the rules. So it should be automatic to bunt that runner to 3rd. Then 1 out and you can score different ways. Derek Skidmore never did this. And especially since the pirates hadn’t had a hit since the 6th inning. Skidmore has no knowledge of basic baseball fundamentals. Toronto did it twice. This guy should be bunted into thr Ohio river.
while his missed fly ball was an issue, they were shut out by the Blue Jays relievers for 6 innings and that includes no hits or base runners
Jake Lamb can be called up for 1b duties
He might have a track record of being a valuable player, he doesn’t have it this year
Taylor was the last player the Bucs signed as a free agent and not until after spring training started
If he’s such a valuable player why didn’t other teams want him?
It’s funny. A lot of people go after Shelton and Haines, and rightly so. Many still think it’s all on Nutting and again, he shares some blame
But Cherington merely has continued the mystery signings of his predecessors when it comes to free agent signings and trades for existing players
The logic here continues to escape me
If you are content with being a .500 team, why spend? Why not fill your roster with guys like Lamb, Gorski, Peguero? And you might as well start Ortiz
Mackey provided a breath of fresh air in his column yesterday. Literally ALL of these veteran additions were unnecessary and where the Pirates are concerned, that’s usually the case
And truthfully, a great many of us said so when they were added
The problem here is beyond the aforementioned minor leaguers, the cupboard is essentially bare. No help on the horizon. So wait until the deadline to dump these guys and bring up guys who *are* performing at Indy
You’re right. This is a perpetual rebuild
Since that upgrade would have to come via trade, you’d be looking at acquiring someone like Brandon Drury (if his hamstring is good by the end of the month), Gavin Sheets (CWS would likely want more than he’s worth), or Josh Bell (very expensive for a marginal upgrade). Drury would cost the least but is injury-prone.
An outside-the-box option would be to prey upon Seattle’s desperation for bullpen arms to snag Tyler Locklear (though he’s still a bit out in terms of being in the majors). The Orioles are also hard-up for pitching, it could be a good time to sell high on Falter or Priester + a few decent prospects to try to land O’Hearn or Kjerstad.
If the Pirates were to go shopping, the Marlins are the most likely partner in the short-term (I’d be OK with Bell AND his salary if Chisholm were part of the package), with Sheets in a distant second due to the White Sox likely waiting until the deadline to fetch the highest price (and even then I don’t know that they’d part with him). The price for Sheets is probably a Top 15 guy, maybe two, or one of the middle infielders + a top prospect + a lottery ticket. That’s a gamble to say the least.
Henry has made some changes to his swing/stance. He looks more like what he did last year in the minor leagues. He’s also going for more pulled flyballs. His pulled and flyball rates are the exact same at 50.9%. Let’s hope the adjustments work.
the adjustments will continue to be effective as long as Andy Haines doesn’t get involved and ruin his swing
No chat today?
Want to talk about it?
Better yet, communicate with the kid and let him know where he fits. His previous turns here have been a study in mind-f***ing a young player
RF a few games. Sit a few. DH a couple games. Sit RF….
And this year, catch a couple games, bring in a catcher you brought in off the street a couple…..repeat
How true
I agree I hated the outfield experiment but we have NO idea whether there was regular clear communication with him on the plan and expectations.. You can disagree with the plan but unless you are in the dugout or are Henry himself you have no idea what was communicated.
You just hope there *was* a plan, @SouthernBuc. That’s the point. Too often with Shelton (via Cherington) their lineups, strategies and usage are all over the road
Examine especially their usage of this kid last season. Not that I’m a huge fan of Davis but let’s be reasonable in assessing things. You draft him number 1 overall as a catcher. He arrives in Pittsburgh. You put him in RF with what had to be very little practice there. You never catch the kid, even in mop ups, and have a “plan” that consists of playing him out there a couple games, sitting him a couple, DH-ing him a couple more and repeat
I’m trying to remember how many overall top picks in MLB history have been subject to that kind of “plan”
And fans wonder why he looks lost at bat
You’re right. I don’t know what’s communicated or not. Neither do you.
But I do know young players quite well
And I know that if your aim is to ruin a kid’s confidence, this is the blueprint
I think you basically agreed with me. I fully thought the plan and execution was terrible which is what you re-capped in this second posting. My complaint (admittedly a pet peeve of mine is we as fans – and I do it – making assumptions on things we can’t possible really know … ie. team dynamics / locker room discussion etc.) was your lead where you stated at least communicate with the kid. I 100% agree neither of us know and it could have been non existent or terrible. Was the idea bad – YES, but it is possible he fully understood it (guessing no… but we don’t know).
Thankfully Cutch wasn’t drafted under the current regime, his career would have been over before it even started with Cherington and company calling the shots
Yes, you’re certainly correct in that thinking. This may all be on Davis, who knows. From the outside, the Pirates approach seems scattershot and is consistent with how they’ve “developed” many of their promising prospects. To me, the Gregory Polanco story in this regard is a “tragedy” although admittedly, one he was paid very well within
I’m hopeful Davis understands his role and that he flourishes with this opportunity
If he hits he plays. Simple as that.
Player development, Steve. What a nice concept. A kid gets drafted number one overall and is somehow a defensive liability a couple years in. The Pirates seem to have a corner on these types
Cutch in RF, henry at DH, Grandal C. Take defensive stress off Henry.
this
Cutch doesn’t have either the legs or arm to be playing in the outfield more often unless you want to risk an injury just so Davis doesn’t have to catch
Not a bad idea El.This would allow him to concentrate just on hitting for a couple of weeks.
They can take Koch off the roster as soon as they need the position and either Bart or Delay is ready.
Henry needs to get steady at bats so that he has a chance to hit well.
I think that Bart has proven that he deserves a ML spot.
Delay could be the odd man out next year with Bart and Endy but that would mean Henry will be in right field if he hits the rest of this year.
yasmani grandal is washed XD
I just hate to see Bart not get a chance with the way he was hitting prior to the injury.
He’s injured
In high school we had six players on varsity. There was a radiation leak at a nearby industrial plant. Anyway we did without a catcher. Sometimes the ump would toss the ball back to the pitcher, who was also the center fielder. Sometimes the coach would fetch it and throw it back. Anyway, you can have a team with no catcher. We even won a game against the school closest to the industrial plant. They didn’t have any players, much less a catcher. Kind of a boring game but Coach bought us a keg to celebrate. Chin up, Jolly fans of the Buccos!
After seeing Koch they came to their senses.
Endy, delay and Bart injured
They can figure out where he plays once he shows he can hit MLB pitching. That hasn’t happened yet.
“Pitch-framing remains an issue for Davis” – so he has an issue with intentionally trying to deceive umpires. So he needs to be better at cheating. Got it.
Where in the rules does it say that one can’t frame pitches or how they handle glove well catching a ball?? Even if one is not deliberately “deceiving” an umpire as you say, they could be inadvertently making good pitches look bad. The entire process of pitching from it being thrown til it is caught by catcher takes place in blink of an eye. Whether one wants to admit it or not their is kind if an art to catching.
Duh, of course it’s not official cheating, but it’s still cheating in that it’s being deceitful by trying change to a ball to a strike. And duh again, of course it’s on umpires to not fall for it, but it’s still amazing to me that we’re teaching athletes that they must be deceitful to succeed.
Tellitgoodbye – I’ll step up & agree with you. Inadvertently, catchers have to develop this skill, not so much that it’s cheating; rather umpires are just bad. I’m all for the robot or camera system for balls & strikes. I’ve seen too many egregious errors.
the home plate umpire in yesterday’s v. game’s strike zone was off on both sides of the plate making the hitters swing at pitches that normally would be called balls
With balls/strikes umpiring being at an all time low in terms of consistency—and that’s really saying something in knowing Angel Hernandez has been and will be permanently gone from plate duties—who can blame catchers? This “skill” is taught at every level now
People who like pitch framing also enjoy making their beds.
Tell-your real name is Stretch and there is a reason for that.Best one that I ever saw.
The Pirates Donn Clendenon was real close though.
What a bust. Absolute waste of a pick. Said it from day 1.
not every number one pick will be a superstar
This is only Davis’ second season, he deserves a chance to improve his offense and defense
I’d like this twice if I could. 6 months ago many people were ready to give up on Nicky G (and he also had his supporters) as a bust and terrible draft decision. Now, in general we may be too positive on his results. And dare look who was drafted before Nicky G… BASEBALL IS HARD. All from those first 7 picks may ultimately ‘make it’ …. or not.
not mentioned in your post, njbirdsfan, in those 64 plate appearances at AAA and in 22 games, Davis hit 7 homers and drove in 18 runs
When people say that hitting AAA pitching is easy, I ask why every hitter isn’t batting 1.000
To some degree, I have to wonder about the abilities of Pirates scouts
I know not every organization has the cream of the crop, eagle-eye talent evaluators but you wonder where the blame lies in this organization
Is it scouting or is it player development?
Gonzales is a nice comeback story. I hope he’s here to stay. But watching the endless stream of kids who arrive here off of the Indy shuttle over the past 2-3 years and show nothing is mind-numbing…especially true where outfielders are concerned
Most of the players that arrived from Indy over the last few years were never thought of as well regarded prospects. Other than Davis and NickG you have more of the Cal Mitchell, Smith Njigba types. The most recent prospect that failed badly was Swaggerty who was an NH pick. Only recently has BC’s top prospects been arriving in the show.
Davis, Jones, Nick, Skenes… so far it’s been better than average.
Well stated. And I do understand that a great many of the kids coming up have been holdovers from Huntington’s era.
Just seems that player development has been a failure over a protracted period of time.
If Bubba Chandler and Anthony Solometo round out the rotation led by Skenes, Keller and Jones in 2026 then the Davis pick was an absolute steal. Especially if Davis is still on the roster and adding positive value.
Chandler’s last couple starts were disturbing, and then he had arm soreness. Solometo doesn’t look like a guy who’s going to succeed here. Yet, anyway
I’m betting Oviedo, Burrows or VV will be here before either
Solometo’s wildness this year is disturbing, he’s never had an issue before. Maybe there’s an underlying health issue in his arm somewhere? My hope is that the Bucs get super aggressive with Hunter Barco since he’s fully healed.
“Should be noted that Davis had only 63 PA at Triple-A”
If this isn’t the definition of rushing a prospect I don’t know what is.
But again, the fans in the stands who only show up for bobbleheads and fireworks kept demanding they call him up, then rip him when he doesn’t succeed.
As chaotic as Davis’ introduction to MLB has been, in a weird way I think its preparing him for a very valuable role as an everyday player who splits his time as a platoon RF, backup catcher and occasional DH. He isn’t ever going to be a great defensive player anywhere but it’s reasonable to assume he can be a roughly average defender at both spots. Theoretically sometime before Davis’ rookie deal ends, Endy will be the starting catcher, Cutch will retire and the Pirates will most likely still have Brian Reynolds, a vet on a one year deal and a collection of 4th or 5th outfielders. Davis can potentially ease the burden of all three spots. He has to hit in the majors for any of this to matter though. So getting his bat on track should be the first priority.
Makes sense, but I would like to see him split time with Endy, then as you said with platoon RF and with some DH. Versatility is a value in the league (kudos to Mike Heath in his playing career ).
I’ve rationalized that the Pirates mishandled Davis in his stints with the big club and shook his confidence. But ya know, at some point he needs to move beyond that and make the most of his chances
I don’t know that Endy will ever be at 20+ homer guy but he’s fundamentally better at catcher than anyone they have. Davis has to give management a reason to stick here. I’d say Bart is a better back up option at catcher at this point and a better hitter
More and more, Davis looks like the kind of player they package and then tears it up with another team
Just a recommendation to read Mackey’s commentary in today’s PG that calls into question Cherington’s note that the Pirates are better than they were a year ago and hope to improve from within. He also takes the free agent signings to task and doesn’t see a lot of help coming from the minors
Perpetual rebuild. Two years away from being two years away
Exactly, tired
At the trade deadline, Chapman will be given away for a low level player, just to dump what remains of his contract
Taylor, same scenario
Tellez, traded but only for a second tier player
Cherington will then go on his annual dumpster diving spree to fill up the major league roster and by spring training next year, it will be another rebuild for the Bucs
Bae was placed on the 10 day IL, Taylor on paternity leave and Koch optioned back to Indy today
Peguerro, Davis and Suwinski were recalled
They should have optioned Williams and brought up Matt Gorski. How many middle infielders do they need?
Gorski’s lack of a 40-man spot complicates that, as does his right-handedness. That being said, he should be the first guy called if Olivares or Cutch get hurt. Williams is also on the IL with a wrist sprain – that probably keeps him off the roster until around the All-Star break.
But your point is well-taken, Gorski is a better option than someone like Lamb. At worst, limit his exposure and hope for good enough numbers to swap him as a depth piece to a contender. At best, he could be a reasonable 4th OF/1B platoon type – something that would require them to fall way out of contention and deal Connor Joe for way more than he’s worth.
Might be wise, if you ever get the first overall pick again, to select the best possible
Player available instead of Henry Davis
When you look at that draft, I’m curious as to who you think was the best overall player. Jobe and Mayer were big gambles as high school players, Cowser is putting up the same kind of numbers as Hank, and Lawlar has been a disappointment. If they could go back in time and select that pick again, it would be easy to argue that they should have taken Sal Frelick or Jordan Wicks, both of whom would have elicited twice as many “Nutting is cheap” comments as Davis.
If either Chandler or Solometo pan out as good MLB starters, that certainly balances out Davis being a bust (as the whole reason for selecting him was to entice HS commits to sign with the extra money). They’ve also got a chance to hit on Lonnie White, Braylon Bishop or Owen Kellington from that same draft.
At best, if you draft Mayer or Jobe, all your eggs are in one of the aforementioned baskets and the other guys are hitting prospect lists for other teams. Davis was probably the 3rd or 4th pick in that draft if the Pirates did not select him – and that draft position looks a ton different than 1st overall in terms of expectations. Heaven forbid they’d taken Leiter, he’s been an unmitigated disaster at a Tyler-Glasnow-as-a-Pirate scale.