Yasmani Grandal DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Boston Red Sox have signed catcher Yasmani Grandal to a minor-league contract on Thursday. Grandal spent the 2024 campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates and will now look to continue his professional career in Boston. Last season, Grandal posted a .228/.304/.400 slash line with 10 doubles and nine home runs across 72 contests. He held a 24:46 BB:K. He also generated a modest .325 xwOBA with a .419 xSLG. Grandal was able to find a spot in Boston as they placed their top backstop, Connor Wong (finger), on the injured list. Fantasy managers should expect Grandal to begin his time in the minor leagues, but he could push for a quick promotion to the majors if Boston continues to lack offensive production behind the dish. Grandal is worth monitoring in two-catcher formats as he was a viable option in deeper leagues last season.

Free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal declined an offer from the Atlanta Braves. The Braves will be without their No. 1 catcher, Sean Murphy (ribs), for at least the next four to six weeks and were looking to strengthen that position. However, with Grandal declining the offer, this will open the door for top prospect Drake Baldwin to serve as their clear top backstop during the start of the regular season. Last summer, Grandal spent his entire campaign in Pittsburgh. Across 72 contests, he posted a .228/.304/.400 slash line with nine home runs and one stolen base. He showed a strong eye at the plate, holding a 9.9 percent walk rate and an 18.9 percent strikeout rate. During the 2023 season, Grandal held a .234/.309/.339 slash line. If Grandal is unable to find other opportunities, he will likely consider retirement.

According to Francys Romero, catcher Yasmani Grandal is drawing interest from at least three teams on the open market. The 36-year-old has 13 years of MLB experience and would likely be deployed as a depth catcher in an organization. Last season, the switch-hitter logged 72 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates. During this stint, Grandal posted a .228/.304/.400 line. He tallied 10 doubles, nine home runs, and a 24:46 BB:K ratio. He was graded as an excellent defender and placed in the 86th percentile in framing. In addition, Grandal generated a strong 91.1 mph average exit velocity, a 9.8 percent barrel, and a 42.8 percent hard-hit rate. He also drew walks at a 9.9 percent rate. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to spring training as he could find a role as a No. 2 backstop.

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 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.