Pirates' latest Paul Skenes lineup decision feels ominous for Henry Davis

For the past season and a half, Paul Skenes has been Henry Davis’s protector. The ace had exclusively used Davis as his backstop since April 14, 2025, but on August 5, that changed as Endy Rodriguez donned the catcher’s gear. The battery change did little to halt Skenes’ streak of rough starts. While that is disappointing for the reigning Cy Young winner, the greater impact may be on Davis.

Since drafting Davis first overall in 2021, the Pirates have been unwavering in their commitment to the catcher. A career OPS+ of 55 has done little to convince Pittsburgh to cut ties with Davis. In part that is due to frequent injuries to Rodriguez, who is once again on the IL, and a lack of development of catching prospects over the past five years.

Rafael Flores Jr., though, has arrived, and the lower levels of the Pirates’ system have several promising catchers. The displacement of Davis as Skenes’ go-to catcher may be the final straw.

Henry Davis should be on high alert now that Paul Skenes is open to working with other catchers

It’s the second bad sign for Davis in less than a week. Reportedly, the Yankees considered making a deal for him to address their desperate catching situation, and the Pirates may have been open to moving him. Now that Skenes has shown a willingness to try out different backstops, there doesn’t seem to be much of a reason for Pittsburgh to keep Davis around.

Interestingly, Skenes’ preference for Davis wasn’t exactly well-founded. In 52 games with Davis behind the plate, Skenes put up a 2.70 ERA and a .612 OPS, the worst mark among the five catchers he has worked with. To be fair, only Yasmani Grandal and Davis have caught more than 20 innings with Skenes, but Grandal’s 2.02 ERA and .565 OPS are a far sight better than Davis’s marks.

Maybe Skenes has realized that, while his personal relationship with Davis is valuable, their business relationship isn’t getting Skenes or the Pirates where they want to be. Maybe Pittsburgh finally feels comfortable with the present and future catching options. Whatever the root causes of the change in lineup may be, it’s reassuring that the Pirates aren’t going to keep trotting out a guy whose batting average hovers around .170 every fifth day.

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