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Pirates Place Henry Davis On 7-Day Concussion IL

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The Pirates announced this evening that they’ve placed catcher Henry Davis on the 7-day concussion IL. Catcher Jason Delay was recalled from the minor leagues to take Davis’s spot on the active roster. Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported earlier today that Delay was joining the Pirates in Denver.

Davis, 24, was selected by the Pirates first overall in the 2021 draft. He made his big league debut with Pittsburgh last year but has generally struggled on offense in 91 games in the majors over the past two years with a .197/.292/.319 slash line in 357 career trips to the plate. Those struggles at the plate have been combined with somewhat lackluster marks behind the plate; Davis was actually used almost exclusively as an outfielder in his first taste of big league action last year, but an offseason injury to Endy Rodriguez allowed Davis to work his way back into the mix for starts at catcher. In 27 games at the position this season, Davis has posted -2 Defensive Runs Saved.

The youngster nonetheless figured to work in tandem with veteran Yasmani Grandal while Joey Bart was on the injured list due to a thumb issue. Those plans were scuttled, however, when Davis was struck in the face mask by a foul ball during yesterday’s game against the Rockies. Davis went through concussion protocol after the game, and evidently the Pirates had enough concern that the felt it best to place him on the IL. The seven day injured list for concussions offers teams additional flexibility when dealing with possible concussions, offering them the opportunity to shelve a player for just one week in order to minimize the incentive for players to try and play through what could wind up being a dangerous head injury.

With Davis now out for at least the next week, the Pirates will turn to Delay to fill out their catching corps. The 29-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Pirates back in 2017 and broke into the big leagues with the club back in 2022 as the primary backup to Roberto Perez, although he quickly stepped into a larger role when Perez suffered a season-ending injury. Delay remained a key piece of the club’s catching mix in 2023 alongside Austin Hedges and Rodriguez, offering offered quality framing skills despite his lackluster offense (68 wRC+ in 354 trips to the plate).

Delay found himself buried by the acquisitions of Bart and Grandal on the club’s depth chart headed into the 2024 season and ultimately appeared in just one game this year before suffering a knee injury. Delay ultimately required surgery back in April and missed six weeks while rehabbing the injury, but was reinstated from the 60-day IL earlier this month and has been playing at the Triple-A level while awaiting his next opportunity since then. That opportunity has now arrived, and Delay figures to serve as the backup to Grandal for the big league club for at least the next week, though neither Davis nor Bart have a specific timetable for their return to action.

Pirates Designate Niko Goodrum For Assignment

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The Pirates announced they’ve selected left-hander Josh Fleming onto the MLB roster while placing reliever Hunter Stratton on the 15-day injured list due to a triceps strain. To open a spot on the 40-man roster for Fleming, Pittsburgh designated Niko Goodrum for assignment. The Pirates also announced that reliever Ben Heller accepted an assignment back to Triple-A Indianapolis following today’s outright.

Goodrum’s stint with Pittsburgh could last less than a week. The Bucs claimed him off waivers from the Angels on Monday. Skipper Derek Shelton didn’t get him into a game before the need for another pitcher squeezed him off the roster. The 32-year-old utilityman is on his fourth organization of the season. Goodrum initially signed a minor league deal with the Twins. He leveraged an upward mobility clause to secure a 40-man roster spot with the Rays late in Spring Training before bouncing to Los Angeles and Pittsburgh on waivers.

The left-handed hitter appeared in 13 games between the Rays and Angels, hitting .103 with 10 strikeouts and zero extra-base hits. Goodrum had fared well in 17 contests with Tampa Bay’s Triple-A club in Durham, turning in a .270/.387/.444 slash with a trio of home runs. He’ll very likely wind up back on waivers in the next couple days.

Fleming, another former Ray, is back for his second stint of the season. Over the winter, Pittsburgh signed the southpaw to a split deal that pays him at an $850K rate for time spent on the major league roster. Fleming occupied a long relief role early in the year but was tagged for 16 runs over 19 innings. The Bucs ran him through outright waivers in May.

The 28-year-old accepted the minor league assignment and has spent the past month in Indy. His results there haven’t been much better. Fleming has allowed eight runs over 12 2/3 Triple-A frames, striking out five of the 55 batters he’s faced. He’ll work as a multi-inning arm out of Shelton’s bullpen for the time being. Fleming is out of options, meaning the Bucs would again need to run him through waivers if they want to send him back to Triple-A.

Pirates Outright Ben Heller

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Right-hander Ben Heller went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Pirates and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’s been outrighted previously in his career, which will give Heller the right to reject the assignment in favor of free agency if he so chooses.

Heller, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason and was selected to the big league roster after punching out an eye-popping 43% of his opponents in 18 1/3 innings down in Indianapolis. His brief big league look with the Pirates could scarcely have gone worse, however. The former Yankees and Braves righty was rocked for five runs in an inning of work during his team debut and struggled even more considerably in his second appearance, yielding seven runs (six earned) in another inning. Heller’s ERA with the Pirates sits at a stratospheric 49.50.

Stunning as that number is, Heller entered the 2024 season with a career 3.06 earned run average in 50 innings. That includes 18 2/3 frames of 3.86 ball with Atlanta just last season. He’s fanned 20.4% of his big league opponents against an 11.3% walk rate and has generally kept the ball on the ground at an above-average level (45.1%). The Milwaukee native also has had plenty of success in the upper minors, pitching to a sharp 3.15 ERA with a 32.5% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate in parts of six Triple-A campaigns — a span of 163 innings.

Dodgers Acquire Jose Hernandez From Pirates

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The Dodgers announced the acquisition of lefty reliever Jose Hernandez from the Pirates for cash. Los Angeles transferred Ryan Brasier to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Pittsburgh designated Hernandez for assignment earlier in the week when they claimed Dennis Santana off waivers.

Los Angeles took that opportunity to bring Hernandez back to his original organization. The Dodgers signed the Dominican-born southpaw as an amateur in May 2016. Hernandez spent the next six-plus seasons in the L.A. farm system, topping out at Double-A Tulsa. He tallied plenty of punchouts in the low minors but never consistently found the strike zone. The Dodgers left him off their 40-man roster at the end of the 2022 season, allowing other clubs to take a flier in the Rule 5 draft.

Pittsburgh selected Hernandez with the third Rule 5 pick that December (behind Thaddeus Ward and another former Dodger farmhand, Ryan Noda). The Bucs secured his long-term contractual rights by carrying him in the MLB bullpen for all of last season. Hernandez showed the ability to miss bats at the MLB level, fanning 27.8% of opposing hitters behind a 12.5% swinging strike rate. He walked just under 10% of batters faced and surrendered nine homers in 50 2/3 innings, leading to a 4.97 earned run average.

The Pirates gained the right to option Hernandez to the minors after his first MLB campaign. They shuttled him between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis for the season’s first couple months. Hernandez tossed 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts and walks apiece at the big league level. He has been tagged for 12 runs over 15 1/3 Triple-A frames despite punching out 21 of the 75 hitters he’s faced (a solid 28% rate).

It was moderately surprising to see the Bucs move on from Hernandez not long after they satisfied the Rule 5 requirements. His velocity has been slightly down, perhaps contributing to the move. As a rookie, Hernandez averaged 82.9 MPH on his slider (which he uses as his primary pitch) and 94.6 MPH on his fastball. Those speeds were respectively at 81.6 MPH and 93.1 MPH during his major league work this year.

Hernandez has just over one year of service and is in his first of three minor league option years. The Dodgers can keep him in Triple-A Oklahoma City for the foreseeable future if he holds his 40-man roster spot.

The team essentially had an open roster spot thanks to Brasier’s injury. The veteran righty has been out since April 28 after suffering a significant strain of his right calf. He has yet to begin a minor league rehab stint. Brasier will be eligible for reinstatement two weeks from now — the 60-day minimum is backdated to his initial IL placement — but it’s not clear if he’ll be ready by that point.

Pirates Sign Luis Cessa To Minor League Contract

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The Pirates have signed right-hander Luis Cessa to a minor league deal, as first reported by Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link). Cessa was released from a pact with the Royals on June 1.

It’s the second non-roster rotation pickup in as many days for Pittsburgh. The Bucs added Jake Woodford on a minor league deal last night shortly after he was outrighted by the White Sox. Unlike Woodford, Cessa hasn’t seen any major league action in 2024. He pitched fairly well in Triple-A, working to a 3.89 ERA through 39 1/3 innings for Kansas City’s top farm team in Omaha. Cessa had a modest 16.8% strikeout rate against a 9.2% walk percentage while starting 10 of his 11 appearances.

Cessa probably wouldn’t have had a chance to crack the K.C. rotation no matter how well he pitched. The Royals have gotten good work from each of Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Alec Marsh and Brady Singer. Wacha hit the injured list the day after Cessa was cut loose; the Royals have turned to Daniel Lynch IV to take the vacated rotation spot. Perhaps Cessa could’ve pitched his way into a shakier K.C. bullpen, but he doesn’t generate the kind of swing-and-miss that teams are generally seeking in the later innings.

The 32-year-old has been an effective long reliever in the past, running a 3.39 ERA over 112 appearances with the Yankees and Reds between 2019-21. He struggled to a 4.57 ERA in 80 2/3 frames in 2022 and had a particularly tough season last year. Cessa was tagged for 26 runs in as many innings over seven appearances (six starts) for Cincinnati. Subsequent minor league contracts with the Rockies and Nationals each resulted in an ERA above 8.00 and unsurprisingly kept him from returning to the majors.

Cessa and Woodford join Domingo Germán, Josh Fleming and Michael Plassmeyer as non-roster rotation depth in Indy. Braxton Ashcraft and Daulton Jefferies occupy 40-man roster spots and are optional assignment. The Pirates have Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller and Bailey Falter in the rotation after losing Quinn Priester to the injured list. They’ll need a fifth starter or to use a bullpen game during this weekend’s series in Colorado.

Pirates Claim Dennis Santana, Designate Jose Hernandez

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The Pirates announced they’ve claimed reliever Dennis Santana off waivers from the Yankees. Pittsburgh designated Jose Hernandez for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot. The Bucs also recalled Ryder Ryan from Triple-A Indianapolis to take the bullpen spot opened by yesterday’s designation of Ben Heller.

Santana, 28, signed a minor league deal with New York over the offseason. He cracked the Yankee roster within the first week of the season. Santana tossed 27 1/3 innings, typically in middle relief, in the Bronx. While he had a decent run through the season’s first month, he’s run into harder times since the calendar flipped to May. Santana allowed 6.26 earned runs per nine while striking out a personal-low 16.5% of batters faced altogether.

The right-hander has posted an ERA above 5.00 in three consecutive seasons. Santana has nevertheless caught the attention of various teams as a middle innings target. Pittsburgh will be his fifth team dating back to 2021. Santana throws relatively hard, sitting in the 95-96 MPH range with his sinker and four-seam fastball. Until this season, that had generally translated into average swing-and-miss rates against MLB hitters.

Santana has exhausted his minor league options. He’ll step directly into Pittsburgh’s bullpen once he reports to the team. The Pirates need to keep him in the majors or again send him into DFA limbo. Santana surpassed the four-year service threshold this season and would be eligible for arbitration for two more years if he pitches well enough to hold the roster spot.

Hernandez, a 6’3″ southpaw, was the third pick in the 2022 Rule 5 draft. The Bucs stashed him in low-leverage relief last season to gain his long-term contractual rights from the Dodgers. While Hernandez struggled to a 4.97 ERA across 50 2/3 innings, his 27.8% strikeout percentage was reason for optimism that he could be a long-term bullpen piece.

The 26-year-old has had a tough follow-up season, most of which has been spent in Indianapolis. Hernandez has allowed 12 runs over 15 1/3 Triple-A frames. He has fanned 21 of 75 batters faced (a solid 28% clip) but walked nine. Hernandez has been limited to 5 1/3 frames of two-run ball at the MLB level this season. His 81.6 MPH average slider velocity and 93.1 MPH fastball speed are each down more than a mile per hour relative to last year.

Pittsburgh will trade Hernandez or put him on waivers within the next few days. He’s in his first of three option years and has a solid track record of missing bats in the minors, so it wouldn’t be surprising if another team takes a low-cost flier.

Pirates Release Wily Peralta

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The Pirates released veteran right-hander Wily Peralta, per the transaction log at MiLB.com. He’d been working primarily in a long relief role with their Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis but is once again a free agent.

Peralta appeared in 17 games down in Indy, 13 of which came out of the bullpen. He made a quartet of starts but never went more than four innings in any of them. Of his 17 appearances, 14 of them went more than one inning. The 35-year-old righty had a nice stretch from April 10 to May 21, rattling off 22 innings of 2.86 ERA ball with an 18-to-5 K/BB ratio, but he bookended that with a pair of brutal stretches that left him with a 7.44 earned run average overall. The well-traveled righty posted a below-average 20% strikeout rate and a higher-than-average 9.7% walk rate in 32 2/3 innings during his run with the organization.

Peralta hasn’t appeared in the majors since a strong 2021-22 showing with the Tigers. He combined for 132 innings of 2.93 ERA ball between the rotation and bullpen over those two seasons — albeit with a lackluster 15.8% strikeout rate and unsightly 10.9% walk rate. Peralta started 24 games for the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023 but was roughed up for a 6.31 ERA in that time.

Early in his career, Peralta looked like a potential fixture in the Brewers’ rotation. He notched a 3.83 ERA with solid command and a plus ground-ball rate in 411 innings from 2012-14. Even as his results took a step back in each of the next two seasons, he kept his ERA under 5.00 and looked the part of a serviceable back-of-the-rotation arm. His 2012-16 efforts in Milwaukee produced 647 1/3 innings of 4.18 ERA ball.

Since that time, Peralta has bounced around the league and struggled to find much staying power at the MLB level. He’s worked primarily as a reliever since 2017, even serving as the Royals’ closer for a spell in 2018, saving 14 games in Kansas City. However, Peralta has never been able to match the success of his first few MLB seasons. He’ll head back to the market in search of opportunities to latch on as a multi-inning reliever in a new setting.

Pirates Claim Niko Goodrum From Angels

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The Pirates have claimed infielder Niko Goodrum off waivers from the Angels, per announcements from both clubs. The Pirates optioned Goodrum to Triple-A Indianapolis. To open a 40-man spot, right-hander Ben Heller was designated for assignment. There wasn’t any previous indication that Goodrum had been removed from the Angels’ roster, so their 40-man count will drop to 39.

Goodrum was only with the Angels a short time. He was claimed off waivers from the Rays about a month ago and only got into four games with the big league club, as they kept him on optional assignment for the most part. In his 15 big league plate appearances, he drew two walks but didn’t get a hit and struck out four times. In Triple-A Salt Lake, he hit a tepid .200/.333/.200 in 30 plate appearances.

Now 32, Goodrum was once a solid regular for the Tigers. He slashed .247/.318/.427 over 2018 and 2019 for a 98 wRC+, indicating he was just barely below average at the plate for that time. He also stole 24 bases in that stretch while bouncing around to all seven positions outside of the battery.

But things have been a struggle since then, as he’s slashed .190/.267/.321 in 582 major league plate appearances over the past few years. There were some encouraging signs pointing towards a bit of a bounceback lately, though Goodrum hasn’t been able to maintain them. He .280/.448/.440 for Boston’s Triple-A club and then hit .295/.373/.387 in the KBO last year, leading to a minor league deal with the Twins for 2024. He was acquired by the Rays just before Opening Day and didn’t perform in the majors but hit .316/.422/.605 in Triple-A Durham before the Angels claimed him and his performance dipped again.

It’s been quite the up-and-down stretch for Goodrum but the Bucs evidently are intrigued enough to give him a roster spot and bring him aboard for some extra depth. Even as he has struggled more generally, he has drawn walks here and there. He has a 14.7% walk rate in the minors this year and had a 23.1% rate with Worcester last year before going to Korea, then walking in 11.4% of his plate appearances over there.

The Pirates have several position players struggling this year, with guys like Jack Suwinski, Rowdy Tellez, Edward Olivares, Jared Triolo and Michael A. Taylor having posted fairly lackluster numbers. Since Goodrum can move all around the diamond, he could be a viable replacement if the Bucs decide to make any kind of move with anyone in that group or if someone hits the injured list. He also has less than five years of service time and could be kept around for next year via arbitration, the Bucs are so inclined.

Heller, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in the offseason. He posted a 4.91 earned run average and 10.1% walk rate in Triple-A before being selected to the big league roster last week, though his 43% strikeout rate was certainly enticing. He tossed two innings for the Pirates in the past week but allowed an eye-popping 11 earned runs.

The Pirates will have a week to trade Heller or pass him through waivers. His career numbers are naturally much better than the 49.50 ERA he currently has in the 2024 season. In 52 frames going back to his 2016 debut, he has a 4.85 ERA, though he missed much of the 2018 to 2022 seasons due to injuries. The major league results have obviously been poor this year but it was just two outings after he struck out a bunch of guys in Triple-A. If any club were to claim him, Heller is out of options but less than four years of service time.

Pirates, Jake Woodford Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent righty Jake Woodford, MLBTR has confirmed. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com first reported that Woodford was expected to sign with the Bucs. The Excel Sports client is headed to Triple-A Indianapolis for the time being but could work his way into the mix for a long-relief or fifth starter role with the Bucs.

Woodford opened the season with the 2024 season with the White Sox organization after signing a minor league deal back in January. He’d spent his entire career prior to that point with the Cardinals, who selected him with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The right-hander made a pair of starts in a thin ChiSox rotation but served up ten runs on 15 hits and five walks in 8 1/3 innings. He fanned seven of his 46 opponents (15.2%). Chicago designated him for assignment last week, and he elected free agency over the weekend after clearing waivers.

That brief White Sox run marked a fifth straight season with some major league work for Woodford. He’s totaled 193 frames between the Cards and Sox, working to a combined 4.57 ERA with a 15.1% strikeout rate, an 8.2% walk rate, a 46.1% ground-ball rate and 1.31 homers per nine innings pitched. Woodford doesn’t miss many bats but has generally posted above-average ground-ball marks while showing average command. He’ll rely primarily on a sinker that sits just shy of 92 mph, pairing that with a slider as his primary secondary offering. He worked in a cutter far more frequently than in the past during his brief Chicago stint this season.

Woodford is stretched out to start, giving the Pirates some additional depth in the rotation. He’s spent parts of six seasons in Triple-A, posting  4.19 ERA with a 19.5% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. He’s out of minor league options, so if the Pirates select him to the MLB roster, he’ll need to stick or else be again designated for assignment and exposed to waivers before he could be sent down. Even if he were to go unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the option to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment.

The Pirates’ rotation currently includes a pair of electric rookies — 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes and fellow top prospect Jared Jones — in addition to stalwart right-hander Mitch Keller. Entering the season, veteran lefties Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales were expected to hold down rotation spots behind Keller and Jones, but Perez landed on the injured list due to a groin strain late last month while Gonzales made only three starts before incurring a forearm strain that’s sidelined him for nearly two months now. Young righty Quinn Priester joined them on the injured list earlier this month due to a lat strain.

At the moment, the Bucs have southpaw Bailey Falter as their fourth starter behind Skenes, Jones and Keller. He’s made a dozen starts with a 3.69 ERA but far shakier marks from metrics like FIP (4.75) and SIERA (4.79). Pittsburgh has former second-round pick Braxton Ashcraft and waiver pickup Daulton Jefferies on the 40-man roster as rotation options who could be ahead of Woodford on the depth chart. Other non-roster veterans in Indianapolis include Josh Fleming, Domingo German and Michael Plassmeyer, though no one from that trio has pitched well in Triple-A this year. Woodford adds some insurance in the event of further injuries and/or some depth in the event that the team opts for some kind of innings cap on Skenes and Jones down the stretch.

Hank Foiles Passes Away

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Former All Star catcher Hank Foiles passed away late last month at the age of 94, as noted by various sources including Jami Frankenberry of The Virginian-Pilot. An veteran of 11 major league seasons, Foiles played for the Reds, Indians, Pirates, Athletics, Tigers, Orioles, and Angels throughout his time in the big leagues.

Foiles started his professional career at the age of 19 as a member of the Yankees organization back in 1948, but he didn’t make his big league debut for several years. He was selected in the 1951 Rule 5 draft by the Reds but didn’t make his big league debut with the club until 1953. He appeared in just 12 games at the big league level that season between Cincinnati and Cleveland and collected three hits across his first 20 major league at-bats. Foiles wouldn’t play at the big league level in 1954 but split time with Hal Naragon as the backup to five-time All Star Jim Hegan in 1955. In 132 plate appearances that year, Foiles hit .261 with a solid .354 on-base percentage.

Foiles would appear in just one more game with Cleveland before being traded to Pittsburgh during the 1956 season. Although he had a down season at the plate during his first year with the club, his years in Pittsburgh would prove to be the most significant of his career as he earned the everyday catching job for the Pirates in 1957 and 1958. Foiles made the lone All Star appearance of his career in 1957 when he combined his glove-first profile with above average offense to slash .270/.352/.431 in 109 games.

On the 1957 NL All Star team, he joined legends of the game such as Stan Musial, Frank Robinson, and Henry Aaron opposite AL legends like Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams. Foiles pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with Willie Mays on third base and drew a wild pitch to score Mays and bring the NL within two before delivering a single against longtime White Sox ace Billy Pierce. Foiles later scored from second on a single by Ernie Banks, though the NL would go on to lose the game 6-5.

Foiles would remain in Pittsburgh for two more seasons following his All Star season, and though his offense took step backward with a .209/.314/.355 line between the next two campaigns, he nonetheless made 157 appearances and 402 trips to the plate across those two seasons. 1960 saw Foiles change organizations multiple times, as he was traded from the Pirates to the then-Kansas City Athletics during the 1959-60 offseason but appeared in just six games with the club before being returned to the Pirates. He was then traded to Cleveland to act as their back-up catcher before a late July deal sent him to the Tigers. He finished the 1960 season in Detroit but was selected in the Rule V Draft for the second time that November, putting him in five different organizations over the course of one calendar year.

Over the next two years, Foiles would find his groove at the plate again as a back-up catcher for the Orioles and Reds with a combined slash line of .275/.338/.482 across 43 games. Foiles found himself on the move again in 1963 when he joined the Angels, and he appeared in 45 games for the club over the next two seasons with a roughly league average slash line of .216/.289/.386. He played his final game in the big leagues just a month before his 35th birthday on May 2, 1964. A career .243/.321/.392 hitter who appeared in 608 big league games, Foiles tallied 353 hits, 46 home runs, and 166 RBI during a solid major league career.

We at MLBTR offer our condolences to the Foiles family and to his friends, fans, and others who are mourning him around the game.

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