Pittsburgh Pirates Claim a Catcher Off Waivers From Toronto

Monday afternoon the Pittsburgh Pirates made a move to bolster their catching situation at the Major League level by claiming Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays

Earlier the month the Pittsburgh Pirates lost Roberto Perez for what will be an extended period of time with a hamstring injury. Pérez has since landed on the 60-day injured list and the Pirates re-adding Mike Perez to the active roster.

This left Andrew Knapp as the team’s other catcher. Well, due to a roster move made on Monday afternoon Knapp is no longer on the active roster. The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. To make room for Heineman on the roster Knapp was designated for assignment.

In 16 plate appearances this season Heineman hit for a .267/.267/.400 slash line to go with a wRC+ of 90. Heineman has 78 MLB plate appearances coming with the Miami Marlins in 2019, San Francisco Giants in 2020 and the Blue Jays this season. He has hit for a .221/.284/.324 slash line and a 71 wRC+ in his career.

Moving forward Perez will likely continue to be the team’s primary catcher. However, this could change depending on the performance of Heineman. Additionally, he appears to represent an upgrade over Knapp. Knapp was striking out at a 25.7% clip this season to go with a career strikeout rate of 31.4%. He had a wRC+ on the season of 24.

Heineman should be a strong defensive presence for the Pirates. He has thrown out 38% of runners that have attempted to steal against him in his professional career. He also rates out as an above average pitch framer and blocker. By all accounts Heineman should be an upgrade over Knapp and could play his way to extended playing time with the Pirates.