Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Joey Bart will be starting at catcher and batting eighth for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates acquired Bart from the San Francisco Giants on April 2 and with Pittsburgh, the catcher is slashing .313/.450/.750. Bart last played on April 21 when he went 0-for-3 with a strikeout against the Boston Red Sox. Bart will be catching left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter who's starting for the Pirates on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar picked up his third save of the season in Monday's 4-2 win over the Brewers. Bednar came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first out on a flyout, allowed a single, and got the final two outs on another flyout and a strikeout. The 29-year-old has now only converted half of his save opportunities with a 10.13 ERA, but his strikeout numbers have been solid with a 12.38 K/9 rate. Fantasy managers shouldn't panic this early in the season given Bednar's track record over the past couple of seasons.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller will look to keep up the good work in a Saturday outing versus the visiting Boston Red Sox. After allowing four earned runs in each of his first two starts of the season, the 28-year-old has allowed just two earned runs in each of his last two starts and 13 innings of work. He has 13 strikeouts against just four walks in that time and did not walk a batter across seven innings his last time out. Fantasy managers should certainly be encouraged by his start to the season, even if his 19.8% K% leaves something to be desired as he posted a 25.5% K% last season alongside a healthy 18.8% K-BB%. He should see continued positive ERA regression moving forward as his 3.87 xFIP and 4.09 SIERA sit well below his 4.50 ERA on the young season.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz has been slipped down to the eight-hole for Saturday's contest against the Boston Red Sox and right-hander Kutter Crawford. The 25-year-old has hit out of the seven spot on occasion this season, but the eight-hole is the lowest spot in the order he has started at so far while he has largely served as the team's leadoff hitter. However, he's off to a sluggish start at the plate, hitting .222 with three homers, one stolen base, and a .605 OPS across his first 85 trips to the plate on the young season. Even with a massive 40% strikeout rate against only a 4.7% walk rate, fantasy managers should continue to exercise patience, as Cruz ranks in the 88th percentile in average exit velocity and the 89th percentile in hard-hit rate to this point in the season.

Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman's suspension has been reduced to one game after he settled with the league. Chapman will serve his one-game suspension on Friday night against the Boston Red Sox and won't be available out of the bullpen. The league suspended the 36-year-old southpaw for getting into a confrontation with an umpire during Monday's game against the New York Mets. The Cuban hurler does have a save on the season but has also allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits while walking six and striking out 11 in 5 2/3 innings pitched so far in 2024. The seven-time All-Star isn't Pittsburgh's primary closer but he can still be useful for his strikeout numbers and holds in deeper fantasy leagues.