Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Boston Red Sox second base prospect Nick Yorke extended his current hitting streak to eight games on Tuesday evening when he went 3-for-5 with two round-trippers. In this stretch, the number six ranked prospect in the Boston system on MLB.com has posted an excellent .357/.426/.548 slash line with six RBI, two stolen bases, and a 5:9 BB:K ratio. Yorke was promoted to Triple-A Worcester on June 6 and has performed exceptionally well with a .348/.437/.551 line with four long balls and 15 RBI through 22 games. The 22-year-old has a strong chance of making his major league debut in the second half of the summer and could be worth stashing in deeper redraft leagues if he continues this strong play at the top level of the minors.

Pittsburgh Pirates switch-hitting catcher Endy Rodriguez (elbow) is now hitting live batting practice from the left side, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Rodriguez will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing elbow surgery in December, but it's good to see that the 24-year-old backstop is making progress in his recovery. The Dominican backstop made his big-league debut in 2023 and struggled, slashing .220/.284/.328 with a .612 OPS, three home runs, 13 RBI and 27 runs scored in 57 games played. Former first-rounder Henry Davis (concussion) has been out for a while now with a head injury and has so far been a bust in the big leagues. In the meantime in 2024, Joey Bart and veteran Yasmani Grandal are going to split the catching duties in Pittsburgh moving forward.

Pittsburgh Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said that closer David Bednar (oblique) is playing catch out to 120 feet and will throw from the slope of a mound in the coming days. Bednar is throwing once again after going on the 15-day injured list on June 23 with an oblique strain. It wouldn't be a surprise if the 29-year-old right-handed reliever isn't ready to come off the injured list when he's eligible, but he still has a chance to rejoin the back of Pittsburgh's bullpen before the All-Star break in mid-July. The two-time All-Star has a rough 5.17 ERA on the year but also sports a 1.12 WHIP and 16 saves as the Pirates' primary closer when healthy, making him stash-worthy in all fantasy leagues. Veteran left-hander Aroldis Chapman will continue to see most of the team's save opportunities while Bednar is out.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (knee) on the 10-day injured list when calling up shortstop Leo Jimenez, the club's fifth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Kiner-Falefa has shed the perception of him being a defensive-only player by hitting .292/.338/.420 with seven homers, 33 RBI, 32 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Fantasy managers may want to consider Jimenez as a waiver wire option for those looking for middle infield help. He was slashing .271/.416/.431 with seven homers, 33 RBI, and 40 runs scored. Jimenez slashed .271/.416/.431 with seven homers and three steals with Buffalo this season. The 23-year-old will have an opportunity to establish himself for a franchise struggling to stay in the American League Wild Card chase.

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Marco Gonzales (forearm) will begin his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday. Gonzales has been cleared to pitch in a game finally after three weeks of throwing off a mound. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw was originally sidelined in mid-April with a left-forearm strain but is now getting closer to returning to the Pirates' starting rotation. Even if he doesn't encounter a setback during his rehab assignment, Gonzales is likely to need a handful of rehab starts and probably won't be an option for the Bucs again until after the mid-July All-Star break. Gonzales started off nicely in his first year in Pittsburgh by posting a 2.65 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in three starts before going on the injured list, but his 17.6% strikeout rate in 10 big-league seasons leaves a lot to be desired from a fantasy perspective.