Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter produced a strong outing in Friday's victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves, striking out four and allowing three runs on six hits (one home run) and two walks over 7 1/3 innings for his third win of the season. This was Falter's third consecutive quality start, and this one should be viewed as all the more impressive when you consider Atlanta's buzz saw of a lineup. On the season as a whole, the 27-year-old right-hander owns a serviceable 3.55 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 33:14 K:BB over 58 1/3 frames (10 starts) as a pleasant surprise from Pittsburgh's rotation. Falter will carry a decent level of streaming appeal for fantasy purposes in his next scheduled start against a disappointing Toronto Blue Jays next Friday at the Rogers Centre.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (groin) is back behind the plate and is batting eighth for the Pirates on Friday in their series opener against the visiting Atlanta Braves and left-hander Ray Kerr, who will be making his first career spot start. The switch-hitting Grandal has a hit in his only career at-bat against Kerr. The 35-year-old backstop missed two games this week with left-groin soreness but is ready for the weekend series in Pittsburgh. As long as former first-rounder Henry Davis remains in the minors to work on his swing, Grandal will continue to split the catching duties with Joey Bart. Grandal is a pretty low-upside DFS play at the catcher position on Friday, though, and he's batting just .214 (9-for-42) with two homers and eight RBI after getting a late start to the 2024 season due to injury.

Pittsburgh Pirates backstop Henry Davis has been on an impressive run at Triple-A over the past week. Since May 16, the former number-one overall pick has tallied at least one hit in every game and posted an incredible .464/559/.1.250 line with six long balls and one stolen base. Davis struggled in the majors the past two seasons with an overall .201/.297/.317 slash line and just seven home runs across 85 games. However, he was once considered a top prospect and should be given another opportunity in the Steel City later this summer. He should remain rostered in dynasty and keeper leagues as he is still seen as the backstop of the future in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielderBryan Reynoldssmacked his seventh home run Thursday afternoon while going 3-for-5 in a 7-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Bryan Reynolds has homered in back-to-back games while going 5-for-10 at the plate with five RBI. The 29-year-old switch hitter has been incredibly consistent over the last two seasons and is on pace to put up similar numbers again in 2024. In 2022, Reynolds hit 27 home runs with a .262/.345/.461 slash line. In 2023, he hit 24 home runs with a .263/.330/.460 slash line. Those numbers are interesting because, towards the end of May, Reynolds is on pace for about 25 home runs with a .260/.341/.431 slash line. Mr. Consistency isn't the sexiest fantasy player in the game. Still, managers can always feel good about inserting him into their lineups because he can produce a little bit of everything.

The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned outfielder Jack Suwinski to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday and recalled left-hander Jose Hernandez from the minors in a corresponding move. Suwinski is being shipped down to the farm to work on his swing after struggling so far this year to a .174/.268/.297 slash line with four home runs, 13 RBI, five stolen bases and 16 runs scored in 138 at-bats. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter should eventually be back in Pittsburgh, but he probably won't be anything more than a platoon center fielder. With Suwinski in the minors for the time being, it should open up more playing time in the outfield for Ji Hwan Bae and Connor Joe, which will in turn open up more action for the lefty-hitting Rowdy Tellez at first base in Pittsburgh.