Pittsburgh Pirates: Candidates to Be Optioned to Triple-A When Bryan Reynolds Returns

The Pittsburgh Pirates are about halfway through Bryan Reynolds' injury list placement, so who will go to Triple-A once the All-Star outfielder returns to the lineup?

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Bryan Reynolds on the injured list at the very worst time, as they were in the midst of a terrible losing streak. Not only was losing Reynolds horrible timing, but it also took one of the Pirates’ most productive batters out of their lineup. At the time, Reynolds was slashing .279/.350/.473 with a .354 wOBA and 122 wRC+. Reynolds had a solid 9.5% walk rate and a strong 18.7% strikeout rate.

However, Reyolds’ injury list placement was retroactive to June 20th. We’re about halfway through his injury list stint, so when he returns, the Pirates will need to send someone to Triple-A. But a few players stand out as potential players to be optioned.

Jason Delay

If you haven’t been following the Pirates or Jason Delay, you’d probably wonder why he’s a prime candidate to get sent to Triple-A, just at a glance. Delay is batting .275/.337/.385 on the season. Plus, he has a respectable .318 wOBA, and 98 wRC+, making him almost league-average on the dot. Some may even think he should be a starting catcher based on that alone. The league average triple-slash and wRC+ for a catcher are just .234/.301/.384 and 88, respectively.

However, Delay’s numbers are mostly fueled by his blazing-hot start to the year. Delay was batting .390/.435/.610 through April. Delay had a .441 wOBA and 180 wRC+ at this time. While his 6.4% walk rate was below average, he also had a phenomenal 10.6% strikeout rate. It was obvious that Delay’s start to the season was likely unsustainable, but he’s not just fallen off a cliff but has done so in an unspectacular way.

Since the start of May, Delay is just a .180/.250/.200 batter. He has a wRC+ well below 50 at 30 and a wOBA of just .215. Although his walk rate is up to 7.2%, he’s also struck out 39.3%. Sure, Delay didn’t enter the season as a potential contributor with the bat, but even this falls well short of his 2022 season, where he hit .213/.265/.271 with a .230 wOBA and 53 wRC+.

The only thing Delay has brought to the table is good defense, which to his credit, has been an extremely strong suit for him. In just 246.1 innings, Delay has +2 defensive runs saved and +4.5 framing runs. Despite mostly playing a semi-regular role, he ranks top ten in framing. He’s also yet to allow a passed ball, either.

In my opinion, Delay is the best option to be sent to Triple-A. It is the best option, in my opinion, because this lets the Pirates keep Henry Davis in the lineup regularly. While Davis has mostly played right field since getting to the major leagues, he deserves a couple of games behind the plate. Plus, getting Delay out and Davis in means less playing time for Austin Hedges and improves a position where the Pirates rank next to last in wRC+, wOBA, and 26th in the league in fWAR since May.

Connor Joe

Connor Joe was acquired by the Pirates this past off-season. The Bucs didn’t give up much to acquire the OF/1B, only sending minor league pitcher Nick Garcia to the Colorado Rockies in return (who has a 7.78 ERA, 5.62 FIP, and 1.73 WHIP for the Rockie Double-A affiliate). Joe, like Castro, looked like he may have secured himself a regular, and potential long-term role not that long ago.

At the end of May, Joe was slashing .255/.346/.484 with a .359 wOBA and 125 wRC+. Although he had a mediocre 27.4% strikeout rate, he also walked in 10.1% of his plate appearances. On top of that, he was hitting for plus power. Joe had cranked out six home runs in only 179 plate appearances and had a .229 isolated slugging percentage.

But like the names mentioned before him, Joe has seemingly taken a completely out-of-control nosedive. While he hasn’t been nearly as bad as Castro in June, Joe still has a poor .218/.299/.300 triple-slash. While he still has a 10.4% walk rate, Joe has struck out nearly a third of the time with a 31.3% K-rate. While Joe has an above-average 89.1 MPH exit velocity, he’s hit for little power, with a .083 isolated slugging percentage. Between his rising K% and lack of power, Joe has just a .272 wOBA and 67 wRC+ in June.

Joe’s defense has been less than spectacular, but he also hasn’t been a liability either. In the outfield, Joe has -3 defensive runs saved but is +1 out above average. When Joe has taken up first base, he has -2 DRS and +1 OAA. Overall, he’s been pretty average. The one area in which he's been above average in is arm strength, averaging 90.7 MPH on his throws from the outfield, which is the 28th highest in baseball (which is about the 89th-90th percentile).

Optioning Joe also lets the Pirates keep Davis in the line-up regularly but in the outfield. The only downside is that the Pirates are optioning their only backup option at first base. If Carlos Santana would need to be pulled for whatever reason during a game, the Pirates would basically have to hope that someone like Castro, Delay (if neither are the ones who are optioned to Indy after Reynolds’ return), or Hedges could handle first base until further notice. However, this would open up more playing time for Davis in the outfield.