Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfield prospect Henry Davis has struggled since his demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis last week. The former Number one overall pick opened the year with the big-league club, but struggled with a .162 batting average and four RBI in 68 at-bats before veteran Yasmani Grandal returned from the injured list and took away his job. Since being sent back down, Davis is 3-for-19 with two runs and two RBI. Davis was picked number one overall for a reason and still has a bright future ahead of him, but he will need to turn things around in Triple-A to get another chance with the big-league club. Although managers in redraft leagues should have already cut ties, Davis still has value in dynasty leagues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are activating veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal (foot) from the injured list on Friday and have optioned catcher/outfielder Henry Davis to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move, according to manager Derek Shelton. Grandal is returning from plantar fasciitis in his left foot and will platoon with Joey Bart being the plate moving forward. The switch-hitting 35-year-old will be making his 2024 debut when he gets into a game, but he'll start on the bench on Friday with Bart getting the start. Davis, the former first overall pick in 2021 out of Louisville, will head to the farm to work on his swing after hitting a miserable .162 (11-for-68) with no home runs, 11 walks and 29 strikeouts in 83 plate appearances.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis and outfielder Michael Taylor will start on the bench on Monday for the series opener against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Joey Bart will do the catching for the Bucs and will hit ninth, while Jack Suwinski is in center field and batting cleanup against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. This will be Bart's second start in the last three games, and he could see more time behind the plate with Davis starting off his second MLB season just 4-for-30 at the plate. It helps Bart's cause that both Yasmani Grandal (foot) and Jason Delay (knee) are currently on the injured list. This will be Taylor's third straight game starting on the bench. Suwinski is just 6-for-34 (.176) in the early going but will have elevated DFS sleeper appeal in the cleanup spot on Monday.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis went 0-for-2 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a strikeout out of the nine-hole in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles and is now hitless in his last five games to fall to 4-for-30 (.133) with no home runs, two RBI, four runs scored and 11 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances over the first nine games of his sophomore season. It's not the start that the 24-year-old or fantasy managers were hoping for from the former first overall pick in 2021 out of Louisville, but the good news is that Davis is going to continue playing regularly with both Yasmani Grandal (foot) and Jason Delay (knee) injured. Through his first 71 MLB games, though, Davis has hit only .204/.295/.333 with seven homers and 26 RBI in 292 trips to the plate.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz and catcher/outfielder Henry Davis will start on the bench for Sunday's series finale versus the Miami Marlins. Alika Williams is playing the 6 and batting eighth, while Jason Delay will do the catching for Pittsburgh while hitting in the nine-hole. Neither Williams nor Delay will be particularly attractive DFS sleepers on Sunday against Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers. Cruz went 5-for-14 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in the first three games of the season before getting his first day off. The 25-year-old missed most of last year due to a fractured ankle but is one of the bright young ascending talents in the game at the shortstop position. Davis started behind the dish for the Bucs for each of their first three games, going 2-for-12 with a run scored and three walks.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis is off to a big start this spring as he enters his sophomore season. The 24-year-old is 6-for-18 (.333) with three home runs, eight RBI, and two walks across 21 trips to the plate in seven spring games, good for a 1.214 OPS in that time. It's certainly an encouraging start for the former first-overall pick who struggled in his big-league debut in 2023, hitting just .213 with seven home runs, three stolen bases, and a .653 OPS across 62 appearances. However, Davis also raked to the tune of a .306 average with 12 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a 1.015 OPS across 55 games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He is currently outfield-only eligible in NFBC leagues but will gain catcher eligibility in short order as he arrived at camp as a backstop. Considering the 15 home runs and nine stolen bases ATC is projecting for the 2024 season, Davis' fantasy value skyrockets as a catcher.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis, the team's former first overall pick in 2021, homered for the third straight game on Monday in the team's Grapefruit League contest versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Davis' work this offseason to have his swing reassessed at Driveline has been paying off in spring training. He's now hitting .400 with a 1.444 OPS in 18 plate appearances in camp, and his perceived improvements defensively behind the plate are giving him a strong case to be Pittsburgh's preferred No. 1 catcher in 2024, despite the fact that manager Derek Shelton said last week that veteran Yasmani Grandal will be involved. Davis started exclusively in the outfield in the majors in 2023, but the Bucs want him to be their long-term backstop. If the 24-year-old can improve on his offensive performance from a year ago, it will be hard for the team to justify using Grandal over him.