Pirates reveal key roster moves for Opening Day

Jason Delay won the three-man battle to be the backup catcher, and a pair of rookies — infielder Ji Hwan Bae and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba — will join the Pittsburgh Pirates when they travel to Cincinnati for the season opener, a source confirmed Tuesday morning to the Tribune-Review.

The Pirates are expected to make more roster moves after they play their Grapefruit League finale Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. But Bae, Delay and Smith-Njigba will make the 26-man Opening Day roster, leaving the final roster decisions with the bullpen.

The Pirates chose Delay over Tyler Heineman and Kevin Plawecki, both nonroster invitees, to serve as the backup to Austin Hedges. Where Heineman was reassigned to Triple-A Indianapolis, Plawecki had an opt-out clause and was released from his minor-league contract. Right-handed reliever Yerry De Los Santos was optioned to Indianapolis. The Pirates have 29 players on their training camp roster, but starting pitcher JT Brubaker and relievers Jarlin Garcia and Robert Stephenson are expected to be placed on the injured list.

“I think we’ll have some guys start the season in Triple-A who will be disappointed to be there, who we fully anticipate could come up at some point and help us,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told the Tribune-Review on Friday. “On better teams around the league, you look at them and that’s pretty common. We’re trying to get to be one of those better teams as fast as we can. Part of that is being in the position to have tougher decisions like that.”

Delay, 28, is regarded as the best defensive catcher of the three backup candidates. He batted .213/.265/.271 with six doubles, one home run and 11 RBIs in 57 games with the Pirates last season, and he hit .150 (3 for 20) with a homer and two RBIs in 13 Grapefruit League games. Heineman batted .211 in 52 games last season and .136 (3 for 22) in 11 games this spring.

When the Pirates optioned Mark Mathias to Triple-A Indianapolis and reassigned Drew Maggi and Chris Owings to minor-league camp Monday, that left Bae and Connor Joe to serve as utility players and Smith-Njigba as the fourth outfielder. Bae can play second base, shortstop and center field, while Joe can play first base and the corner outfield spots.

Cherington has more options in a bullpen headlined by All-Star closer David Bednar and returning right-handers Wil Crowe, Chase De Jong, Colin Holderman and Duane Underwood Jr. The Pirates decided to keep three newcomers: righty Dauri Moreta, acquired from the Reds in the Kevin Newman trade; lefty Jose Hernandez, selected with the third pick in the Rule 5 Draft; and lefty Rob Zastryzny, who was signed to a minor-league deal.

Aside from Johan Oviedo on the bump, the Pirates have what looks like a potential Opening Day lineup for their Grapefruit League finale against the Twins at LECOM Park. pic.twitter.com/Uml1Q47Zz9

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 28, 2023

The Pirates appear to have solidified their starting lineup, although manager Derek Shelton said on the AT&T SportsNet broadcast of the Twins game that he had a “pretty good idea” on seven spots in the lineup and is “talking through” a couple more.

The lineup is expected to feature Hedges at catcher, Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi splitting time between first base and designated hitter, Rodolfo Castro at second base, Oneil Cruz at shortstop, Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base and Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski in the outfield. McCutchen is dealing with a sore right elbow, however, and could be used as DH like he was Tuesday against the Twins until he’s comfortable throwing.

With Brubaker (right elbow/forearm discomfort) likely headed to the IL, Shelton said Oviedo will join a starting rotation with right-handers Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras, Vince Velasquez and lefty Rich Hill. The Pirates have two off days in the first week of their schedule, so the order is yet to be determined.

Of course, those moves don’t necessarily mean the roster is finalized.

Last year, the Pirates lost outfielders Anthony Alford and Greg Allen to injuries in the final week of spring training and were dissatisfied with backup catcher candidates Taylor Davis, Michael Perez and Jamie Ritchie, so they signed a pair of free agents just before Opening Day by adding Andrew Knapp as backup catcher and Jake Marisnick as the fourth outfielder. Cherington left open the possibility he could scan the waiver wire to find a position player or pitcher he believes is a better fit.