Pittsburgh Pirates: SPs Did Their Job, Roster Shake Ups Needed & More Takeaways From Series Loss in Baltimore

Roster changes need to happen now

To build off the Underwood Jr. point, the roster needs some sort of shake ups. Sure, the bullpen has been the least of the issues during this slide but reinforcements could still come there. In additiong to jettisoning Underwood Jr., the Pirates need to option a position player to go back to an eight man bullpen. This would create a spot for two out of the three of Bolton, Selby, and Mlodzinski.

Where the team needs the biggest boost is offensively. There is zero reason for Henry Davis to still be in the minors. Zero. Zilch. None. He was drafted no. 1 overall as an advanced college bat who could climb through the minors quickly.

Now that Davis is healthy he is showing that he was that advanced college bat who could rise quickly. Entering play on Sunday Davis owned a .310/.459/.667 slash line with 8 home runs, a 205 wRC+, 17.1% walk rate, and a 19.8% strikeout rate in 111 plate appearances at Double-A.

Davis needs to join the team in Detroit in an effort to spark the offense, especially with how poor the catcher position is for the Pirates. Austin Hedges simply is not a major league hitter, and Jason Delays is 2 for his last 13 as his unsustainable hot start is now beginning to even out.

Davis could also be used in right field, allowing Connor Joe to slide to first base to get a struggling Carlos Santana off his feet more. Perhaps that he is healthy and back with Triple-A Indy now they could try a promotion of Jared Triolo with the idea of helping to get more offense out of first base.

On May 21st of last season the Orioles promoted Adley Rutschman to the majors. At that point the Orioles strapped themselves to a rocket that has not slowed down. However, waiting as long as they did to promote Rutschman likely cost them a Wild Card berth last season.

This is not to say that Davis would have the same impact as Rutschman. Although, both were college catchers selected at the top of the draft. It should be viewed as a warning to not wait too long to make a move, however.