Pirates' Henry Davis: Will enter spring as catcher
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Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Thursday that Davis will enter spring training as a catcher, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Davis made his major-league debut in right field this past year and only logged two total innings behind the plate, but the Pirates will have him continue working defensively at baseball's shallowest position. Endy Rodriguez projects to open the 2024 campaign as Pittsburgh's primary backstop, with Davis likely again playing mostly in the outfield or at DH, but injuries happen and the Bucs don't want to stunt any sort of development angles for their bright young talent.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Sitting out Thursday
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Davis is absent from the lineup Thursday versus the Phillies.
Davis has been playing through an ankle injury, though he drove in two runs out of the DH spot Wednesday. Bryan Reynolds will take a turn as the Pirates' designated hitter Thursday at Philadelphia as Miguel Andujar covers right field.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Playing through ankle issue
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Davis is dealing with an ankle injury and will bat fifth as the designated hitter Wednesday against the Phillies, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Davis tweaked his ankle while running the bases Tuesday, so he'll be limited to batting Wednesday after initially being slated to man right field. The injury doesn't appear to be a significant issue since the 24-year-old remains in the lineup.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Not starting Saturday
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Davis isn't in the Pirates' lineup Saturday against Cincinnati, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
After slugging a home run Friday to extend his hitting streak to three games, Davis will take a seat to begin Saturday's game. Josh Palacios will start in right field and Ke'Bryan Hayes will operate as Pittsburgh's designated hitter while Jared Triolo covers the hot corner.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Sitting out Thursday
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Davis isn't in the Pirates' lineup Thursday against the Cubs, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Davis went 1-for-4 and drove in two runs during Wednesday's victory over the Cubs, and he'll take a seat to conclude the series Thursday. Connor Joe will step in as Pittsburgh's DH and bat in the leadoff spot.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Activated from IL
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The Pirates reinstated Davis (hand) from the injured list Friday.
A strained right hand forced Davis onto the injured list Aug. 21, and he began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. Davis impressively went 8-for-13 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored across four games during his assignment, so he'll be swinging a hot bat as he slides back in as Pittsburgh's primary right fielder. Vinny Capra was optioned to Indianapolis in a corresponding move.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Nearing rehab assignment
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Davis (hand) could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Davis resumed taking batting practice last week and has apparently progressed without issue. On the shelf since Aug. 23 due to a strained right hand, the 23-year-old catcher and corner outfielder should be able to return to the lineup before the 2023 season comes to an end.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Takes batting practice
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Davis (hand) participated in batting practice and did defensive work ahead of Saturday's game against the Cardinals, MLB.com reports.
This marked the first time that Davis took part in batting practice since he was placed on the injured list Aug. 23. There's no clear timeline for his return to the field, though Davis is expected to play again prior to the close of the campaign.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Battling hand injury
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Davis' placement on the 10-day injured list Monday was the result of a right hand strain, MLB.com reports.
The Pirates called up utility man Vinny Capra to take Davis' spot on the 26-man active roster, but Josh Palacios looks like the top candidate to serve as Davis' primary replacement in right field while he's on the shelf. According to the report, Davis' soreness is concentrated around his right thumb, and the injury has apparently been something that has lingered for a while. The hand issue likely at least partially explains why Davis had batted just .158 with a .492 OPS in August before hitting the shelf.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: On bench again Monday
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Davis is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cardinals, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Davis will head to the bench for the second time in three days after going 0-for-12 with five strikeouts in his last three starts. Josh Palacios will pick up the start in right field in Davis' stead, but the 23-year-old rookie doesn't appear in imminent danger of losing out on a near-everyday role in the Pittsburgh outfield.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Fair to say the Davis-to-the-outfield experiment is working out A-OK, at least for Fantasy Baseball purposes. Not only has he started every game but one since joining the Pirates on June 19 -- a huge advantage for a catcher-eligible player -- but he's also producing like an outfielder, becoming the first hitter of any sort to have a two-homer game against Shohei Ohtani on Friday. Statcast buys his .284 batting average and .451 slugging percentage almost to the number, pinning him with a .285 xBA and .451 xSLG, and he's beginning to demonstrate the same sort of on-base skills he showed in the minors, actually walking more (10) than he's struck out (9) in July. He's already widely rostered, but it needs to be universal. I can't think of even seven catcher-eligible players that I'd rather have.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Takes Ohtani deep twice
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Davis went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in Friday's 8-5 loss to the Angels.
Davis made his presence felt despite the poor result for the Pirates, taking Shohei Ohtani deep in the fourth and sixth innings. He's the first player to homer twice in the same game off Ohtani, per MLB. Davis doubled his home run count for the season to four, and he's added 11 RBI, 16 runs scored, three stolen bases and a .295/.391/.463 slash line over his first 110 plate appearances. He continues to play regularly in right field despite coming up through the Pirates' system as a catcher, and with Endy Rodriguez now in the majors as well, Davis' path to reps behind the plate is that much narrower.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Two hits, steal Sunday
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Davis went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a steal in Sunday's loss against the Giants.
Davis has two hits in each of his last three games since the All-Star break, going 6-for-11 (.545) in that stretch. The 23-year-old rookie is now slashing .280/.372/.402 with two homers, 13 runs scored, nine RBI and three stolen bases through his first 94 plate appearances while playing primarily in the outfield.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Batting leadoff Friday
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Davis is starting in right field and batting leadoff Friday versus the Diamondbacks.
This will be the first career appearance at leadoff for Davis, though he could become a featured option there with the Pirates having to send both Andrew McCutchen (elbow) and Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) to the injured list Friday. Davis has slashed .270/.333/.365 with one home run and two stolen bases in 17 games since arriving in the majors June 19.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Friday's Waiver Wire Targets
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Davis continues to not play catcher, and that continues to be just fine by me. His .351/.415/.486 line isn't sustainable, but he's playing everyday and looks like at least an average hitter, with some speed, which makes him a must-start player at catcher.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Slugs first career homer
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Davis went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a loss to the Marlins on Thursday.
Davis' first big-league long ball was a no-doubter, leaving his bat at 100.5 mph and traveling an estimated 407 feet to left-center field. It was just the second hit of his major-league career, and he's now 2-for-12 with four strikeouts through four games. Though Davis appears to be locked into an everyday role with the Pirates, he has yet to play behind the plate since his call-up, making two starts in right field and two at DH.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Possible waiver wire pickups
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While Bo Naylor certainly has his strong points, Davis is the higher priority among catcher call-ups. For one thing, he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, so there's no questioning his significance to the Pirates organization. They didn't call up a franchise cornerstone to sit, and while they have two other catchers on the roster, Davis is also capable of playing right field. In fact, his versatility could lead to him playing more than the average catcher, provided he delivers at the plate, and his work there between Double- and Triple-A primarily earned him the call. It's not a stretch to say he could emerge as the Pirates' best hitter, given his easy power and premium on-base skills (he's reached at a .433 clip this year). For me, he's a top-12 catcher already.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Promotion coming Monday
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The Pirates plan to promote Davis from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The 2021 first-round pick was promoted from Double-A Altoona to Indianapolis just two weeks ago, and he's now poised to make his MLB debut after posting a .946 OPS in 10 games at Triple-A. Austin Hedges has a .473 OPS while working as Pittsburgh's primary backstop this year, and Davis should represent a significant offensive upgrade as one of the top catching prospects in baseball. Davis has also made 13 starts in right field between Altoona and Indianapolis this season, giving him another avenue to playing time on days that he doesn't catch.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Reassigned to minors camp
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Davis was reassigned Tuesday to the minor-league side of Pirates camp.
Lolo Sanchez and Matt Gorski were also sent out. Following some earlier cuts Tuesday morning, the Pirates are now down to 59 players in major-league camp. Davis has battled multiple injuries as a pro but boasts an .890 OPS in 67 career minor-league games and could arrive in the bigs at some point later this season.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Gets invite to MLB camp
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Davis received an invitation to the major-league side of Pirates camp this spring.
Davis struggled through multiple injuries in 2022, most prominently a fractured left wrist, but he had a terrific run in the Arizona Fall League and is ready to again continue his ascent through the Pirates' farm system. Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville, the 23-year-old catcher has posted an .890 OPS in 67 career minor-league games. He could make his MLB debut in late 2023.
