Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (back) is out of the starting lineup for the second straight day on Sunday against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Henry Davis, who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, is making the start behind the plate. He will catch right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski and bat ninth against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene. Bart is battling lower-back discomfort, and it remains to be seen if he'll be ready to return for Monday's series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals. Davis went hitless in three appearances on Saturday against Cincinnati and just hasn't been able to put it all together offensively in his 100 big-league games since his debut in 2023, as he's slashed .190/.280/.304 with a .585 OPS. He has never faced Greene in his big-league career.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (finger) is returning to center field and will bat third for Sunday's series finale against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Hunter Greene. Cruz was hit by a pitch on his finger on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals and was forced to miss the next three games. The 26-year-old is feeling better now, though, and will return in the series finale. Fantasy managers will want to get him back into their starting lineups, as he's hit .333 with a 1.302 OPS, two home runs and two RBI in 12 career at-bats against Greene. Cruz is hitting .211 (8-for-38) in his first 12 games in 2025, but he's added two home runs, a double, five RBI, seven stolen bases and five runs scored in 50 plate appearances.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Bryan De La Cruz and shortstop Orlando Arcia will both start on the bench for Sunday's series finale against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays. Eli White is starting in left field and will bat ninth, while Nick Allen is at shortstop and in the eight-hole against Rays right-handed spot starter Joe Boyle. De La Cruz has seen more playing time with Jurickson Profar suspended, but he hasn't taken advantage of it so far, going 8-for-37 (.216) with no home runs, a run scored and a stolen base. The 28-year-old went 0-for-7 with a steal and five strikeouts in the first two games of the series against the Rays. Arcia is quickly losing the starting gig at shortstop to Allen, as he's been on the bench for three of the last four games. He's gone just 5-for-24 early on with an RBI and a run scored. Neither White nor Allen have faced Boyle in their careers.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Luis L. Ortiz had struggled in spring training and in his first two starts of the year, but he was much sharper on Saturday against the Royals, allowing just one run on one hit in 5 2/3 innings while stacking up a career-high 10 strikeouts and issuing just two walks. He threw exactly 100 pitches in his outing and improved to 1-2 on the year with a still-elevated 6.06 ERA and 4.63 FIP. He had 16 whiffs, a 36% whiff percentage, and a 34% CSW percentage. He will look to build on his successful home debut as he returns to face his former team in Pittsburgh on Friday in his next start.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (back) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Bart will take a seat here after being forced to exit early during Friday's game due to lower back discomfort. For now, fantasy managers can consider Bart as day-to-day, but it wouldn't be shocking if he's forced to land on the injured list. Henry Davis will start behind the plate and bat ninth versus left-hander Andrew Abbott. Fantasy managers should check back on Sunday for another update on Bart.