Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (groin), outfielder Jack Suwinski and first baseman Rowdy Tellez are all sitting on Wednesday with the team facing San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell, who is making his first start off the injured list. Joey Bart will do the catching and bat seventh, Michael Taylor is in center field and hitting ninth, and Connor Joe is at first base and batting third against Snell. Grandal left Tuesday's game against the Giants late with left-groin soreness. The Pirates have catcher Grant Koch on the taxi squad, so there's a chance the 35-year-old veteran could land on the injured list. With Henry Davis currently in the minors, Bart would become the team's primary backstop if Grandal is forced to miss more time.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz had a big night in Tuesday's victory versus the San Francisco Giants. Cruz went 3-for-5 on the evening with two doubles, one single and a RBI. The 6'7 shortstop brought plenty of thunder with the bat as his three hits were recorded at 121.5 mph, 120.4 mph, and 116.3 mph. Cruz has been hitting the ball hard this season, but has been up and down in the production department. Overall, Cruz has hit .260 with seven homers, 19 RBI and four stolen bases. Cruz has the ability to help across the board and Tuesday's showing is a perfect example of that, he just needs to be more consistent. Regardless, he remains a starting shortstop in most formats moving forward.

The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday and optioned right-hander Ryder Ryan to Indianapolis in a corresponding move. Bae has earned the call-up to Pittsburgh by dominating Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .367/.479/.551 slash line with a 1.030 OPS, four home runs, 15 RBI, seven stolen bases and 23 runs scored in 27 games on the farm. The 24-year-old South Korean will essentially serve as a super-utility player for the Pirates, as he played center field, left field and second base for Indianapolis. Bae made his major-league debut for the Bucs in 2022 and has played in 121 games the previous two years, hitting .240 (88-for-367) with two homers, 38 RBI and 27 stolen bases. His speed will mainly be attractive for fantasy managers in NL-only leagues.

A day after getting six no-hit innings fromPaul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates got another solid outing from their rotation asBailey Faltertossed 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball in Saturday's 1-0 loss at the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two over 7 2/3 scoreless frames. The 27-year-old did not factor into the decision. Falter allowed just three hits in the longest outing of his career, matching zeroes with Cubs aceShota Imanaga. "It was awesome," Falter said about matching up with Imanaga. Despite the no-decision, Falter, 2-2 on the season, lowered his ERA to 3.53, while his 0.98 WHIP makes him an intriguing option for fantasy managers who need help in that category. In his next start, the southpaw draws a tough matchup against the Braves and can be used as a deep-league streamer.

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) will resume baseball activities on Monday, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomcyzk. The plan is for Hayes to play catch and field ground balls on Monday and then swing the bat on Tuesday. The 27-year-old landed on the injured list with a back injury that doesn't sound too serious, so as long as he doesn't suffer a setback, Hayes could be back with the Pirates before the calendar flips to June. Until Hayes is able to return, expect the Pirates to continue to lean on Jared Triolo at the hot corner. Triolo is hitting ninth for the Bucs on Friday against Chicago Cubs veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Before his injury, Hayes was hitting a modest .240/.322/.318 with only one home run and 11 RBI in 34 games played.