The Pirates announced this evening that they’ve placed catcher Henry Davis on the seven-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 they 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 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 heading 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 has a specific timetable for their return to action.