The meniscus in Pirates catcher Jason Delay’s right knee required surgery, the team told reporters (per the MLB.com injury tracker). Before he is cleared to resume baseball-related activities, it will be six weeks. When he’s cleared to play in games, he will undoubtedly need to start a minor league rehab assignment.
Before being placed on the shelf, Delay made only one appearance. He is now on the 10-day injured list, but once the organization needs to make room on the roster for 40 players, he should be placed on the 60-day IL. The right-handed hitting backstop appeared in 70 games last season, making 187 trips and hitting.251/.319/.347. That’s not great, but not bad either for a reliable defensive catcher.
Endy Rodríguez, the Bucs’ presumed catcher, suffered an injury in the off-season that necessitated an elbow surgery that ended the season. Yasmani Grandal signed a $2.5 million free agent contract with them. Before Opening Day, he was put to the IL with plantar fasciitis. After Delay’s injury, a third catcher was placed on the disabled list. Joey Bart, a former No. 2 overall pick, was acquired by the Pirates from the Giants in a DFA deal. Henry Davis, another former first pick, and he are sharing time behind the plate.
With 64 plate appearances this season, Davis is hitting.173/.286/.231—a pretty poor start to the season. Despite this, he has continued to be the undisputed best option ahead of Bart, who has only had three starts. When Grandal is cleared to return, the Bucs will need to make a difficult roster choice because Bart has used up all of his minor league options. The Pirates plan to continue with their two prior first-round selections for the time being.