Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez will not be in the lineup on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Manager Derek Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan that Connor Joe will start at first base in place of Tellez. The manager points to Joe Ross being a reverse-split right-hander as the reason for Tellez not starting on Tuesday. Tellez has struggled as of late as he's 0-for-17 with six strikeouts in the last seven games while in the last 15 games, he's slashing .158/.214/.237 with zero home runs. Joe, meanwhile, will be getting the start at first base despite being primarily an outfielder. Whether or not Tellez will remain on the bench after Tuesday is to be seen, but he's not putting up much offense so he isn't worth a fantasy look at this time.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds went 5-for-5 at the plate in Monday's victory with a home run and a double. Reynolds laced a double in the third inning to score Andrew McCutchen and then hit a solo shot to pad the Pittsburgh lead in the ninth. This perfect outing brings Reynolds to a solid .256/.351/.427 slash line with five total long balls through 42 games this season. The 29-year-old is a consistent fantasy contributor, and his strong underlying metrics suggest he could be in store for another successful season. He currently has a .266 xBA and .458 xSLG, which are both above-average among qualified hitters. The former Vanderbilt Commodore should always remain in your fantasy lineup and be considered in DFS.

Pittsburgh Pirates backstop Yasmani Grandal launched his second home run in just seven games with his new club on Monday. The 35-year-old looks to be settling in quite nicely in the Steel City with an impressive .545 SLG through his first week as a Pirate. Grandal was on the 15-day injured list to open the season with plantar fasciitis but is now looking like his past self. Grandal began splitting catching duties with Joey Bart, but he has now started each of the past four games, suggesting he has a slight lead for the starting role. Grandal is worth adding in NL-only formats for the time being but could force his way into mixed leagues if his power surge continues.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfield prospect Henry Davis has struggled since his demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis last week. The former Number one overall pick opened the year with the big-league club, but struggled with a .162 batting average and four RBI in 68 at-bats before veteran Yasmani Grandal returned from the injured list and took away his job. Since being sent back down, Davis is 3-for-19 with two runs and two RBI. Davis was picked number one overall for a reason and still has a bright future ahead of him, but he will need to turn things around in Triple-A to get another chance with the big-league club. Although managers in redraft leagues should have already cut ties, Davis still has value in dynasty leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs and a two-run homer in Sunday's loss against the Cubs. Joe came up big in the bottom of the 10th inning when he opened it up with a two-run rocket to the bleachers off Adbert Alzolay to open the frame, but it would not be enough to secure the Pirates a victory. Joe has quietly been off to a very good start for the Pirates and has mostly hit no lower than fourth in the lineup this season. For the year, he is hitting .292 with five homers, 20 RBI and two stolen bases to go along with a healthy .866 OPS. Although he isn't the sexiest name, Joe has been having a good enough season to be rostered in deeper mixed leagues.