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Stats

Pirates’ Rafael Flores Jr. homers twice off bench

Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

Player Stats

Rafael Flores Jr. homered in both of his at-bats off the bench Wednesday against the Tigers.

Flores had a pinch-hit homer batting for Henry Davis in the seventh and then tied the game with another solo shot off Kenley Jansen in the ninth. He’s now 15-for-48 with six homers in 19 appearances this season. His defense is rather rough and he made a throwing error during his brief time behind the plate today, but it seems like the Pirates need to start playing him fairly regularly to see if he can keep this up. Maybe that’s part of the thinking behind acquiring Christian Bethancourt; adding a third catcher would make it easier to start Flores at DH.

- Matthew Pouliot

Recap

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Pages heads to IL, no longer fantasy relevant

Eric Samulski gives the latest on Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages as he was placed on IL and will no longer be relevant for fantasy managers as he is expected to be out most of the remainder of the regular season.

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Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

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Rafael Flores Jr. went 2-for-5 with a pair of three-run homers against the Marlins on Thursday.

One of them was against position player pitcher Javier Sanoja, but it all looks the same in the box score. The other was off LHP reliever John King — both of them were pulled into left field. The former Yankees farmhand acquired in the David Bednar trade was hitting .200/.355/.360 before this effort and is at .233/.361/.567 with it.
Jack Brannigan

PIT Shortstop #76

Pirates recalled SS Jack Brannigan from Triple-A Indianapolis

With Endy Rodriguez (hip) headed to the injured list, the Pirates will simply use Rafael Flores Jr. as their backup catcher, so they can call up Brannigan as a reserve infielder. He has hit .217/.324/.447 with 14 home runs in 69 Triple-A games this season.
Endy Rodríguez

PIT Catcher #13

Endy Rodríguez was scratched from Saturday’s lineup because of left hip discomfort.

Henry Davis will catch in his place against the Mets. Rodríguez was also absent Friday, but that just seemed to be a day off. If Rodríguez lands on the IL, the Pirates will probably call up a non-catcher (most likely Tyler Callihan or Billy Cook) and let Davis and Rafael Flores Jr. split time.
Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

Pirates activated C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. from the 7-day concussion injured list.

Flores returns to Pittsburgh’s roster with Ryan O’Hearn landing on the injured list with a quad strain. The 25-year-old backstop hit the shelf with a concussion last week.
Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

Pirates placed C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. on the 7-day concussion injured list, retroactive to July 23.

No word yet from the Pirates on how long Flores will be shelved for, but he’ll need to pass through the concussion protocol before he’s cleared to return. Shawn Ross was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move to provide depth behind the plate for the Bucs.
Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

Pirates recalled C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Flores Jr. is 2-for-3 with a home run in two games with the Pirates this season. He’s hitting .228/.362/.342 with four home runs and 38 RBI in 65 games at Triple-A this year and is firmly off the fantasy radar.
Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

Pirates optioned C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Flores went 2-for-3 with his first career home run during a brief stint with the Pirates while starting backstop Henry Davis was away from the club on paternity leave.
Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

Rafael Flores Jr. belted the first home run of his MLB career on Thursday, but it wasn’t enough to power the Pirates past the visiting Dodgers.

The 25-year-old backstop walloped a 1-1 slider from Justin Wrobleski for a mammoth 440-foot (108.7-mph EV) solo shot that got the Pirates on the board in the fifth inning. He also added a run-scoring double in the eighth that pulled the Bucs to within two at 8-6. Flores finished the evening 2-for-3 plus a walk. Not a bad night’s work for his first big league contest of the season.
Endy Rodríguez

PIT Catcher #13

Endy Rodríguez was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers with left hip discomfort.

Rafael Flores Jr. took over behind the plate after Rodríguez went 0-for-3 before departing. The timing is a bit complicated for the Pirates with Henry Davis away on paternity leave for the next couple days. It’s possible the club will have to promote someone from Triple-A Indianapolis on an emergency basis if Rodríguez is unavailable for Thursday’s series finale.
Rafael Flores Jr.

PIT Catcher #43

Pirates recalled C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. from Triple-A Indianapolis.

Flores receives the call to back up Endy Rodríguez while starting catcher Henry Davis is away from the club on paternity leave. The 25-year-old went 3-for-15 in seven games with the Pirates last year during his first stint in the big leagues.

Rotoworld

Carson Whisenhunt

SF Starting Pitcher #88
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Carson Whisenhunt will undergo an MRI on Tuesday after leaving his start Monday against the Reds with elbow pain.

Whisenhunt said this felt different than the elbow sprain that cost him the final two months of 2023, and he’s hoping it might just be a pinched nerve. "[I’ve] never really felt anything like this,” he said after the game. “I don’t really know kind of where to be at with it. So just kind of play it by ear and get the MRI tomorrow and then go from there.” The Giants could recall Matt Wilkinson if Whisenhunt goes on the IL.
- Matthew Pouliot

Injury

Source: NBC Sports Bay Area
Matt Wilkinson
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Nick Gonzales

PIT 3rd Baseman #3
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Nick Gonzales went 2-for-5 and singled in the automatic runner in the top of the 12th as the Pirates outlasted the Padres 3-2 on Monday.

Gonzales’s hit resulted in only run in the three extra innings. There were three bunts, though, none of which worked out. The first two, from the Padres, were both popped up and the initial one resulted in a double play. The last, from the Pirates after Gonzales’s go-ahead hit, saw the lead runner get retired. Gonzales also walked and stole a base in the contest. He’s fourth in the majors with his .308 average.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Braxton Ashcraft

PIT Starting Pitcher #35
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Braxton Ashcraft limited the Padres to one run over six innings in a no-decision Monday.

Ashcraft appeared to get through six scoreless, only to lose the shutout on a balk. He then left with a one-run lead that failed to hold up. It’s unclear how many more starts Ashcraft, who has now thrown 39 more innings than his previous career high, will make with the Pirates nearly out of contention at this point, but he’s still thriving, having allowed exactly one run in three straight starts. He’s in line to face the Cardinals on Sunday, but the Pirates have Thursday and Monday off if they want to give him some extra time.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Yohan Ramírez

PIT Relief Pitcher #49
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Yohan Ramírez struck out the side in the 12th for his second save Monday against the Padres.

Ramírez had given up five runs in three innings since returning from the paternity list, but he came up big tonight in protecting a one-run lead. He did get a little lucky with the last pitch, though; Dustin Harris swung at a sweeper down and in and then had it go off his foot and to the backstop. If it didn’t hit him, he likely would have reached on a strikeout/wild pitch.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Robbie Ray

SD Starting Pitcher #38
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Robbie Ray allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings Monday versus the Pirates.

Both runs came in the sixth. Esmerlyn Valdez led off the inning with a homer. Ray then walked Bryan Reynolds and struck out Oneil Cruz before being pulled in favor of Bradgley Rodriguez, who surrendered a go-ahead double to score the inherited runner. Ray struck out five and allowed just two hard-hit balls other than the homer. He’ll likely face the Rays on Sunday.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Brandon Lowe

PIT 2nd Baseman #5
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Brandon Lowe went 0-for-5 and struck out four times against the Padres on Monday.

As terrific as Lowe has been against righties, the Pirates still probably would have been better off platooning him all year. He was retired four times by lefties tonight, leaving him with a .208 average, a .329 slugging percentage and a 64/11 K/BB in 173 plate appearances versus southpaws on the season.
- Matthew Pouliot

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Kaelen Culpepper

MIN Shortstop
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Kaelen Culpepper went 4-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI against the Athletics on Monday.

Culpepper didn’t have any extra-base hits, but the four singles raised his average to .340 in the first 50 at-bats of his big league career. He offers enough upside to be considered in mixed leagues, though he’s not necessarily a must-add player.
- Nick Shlain

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Byron Buxton

MIN Center Fielder #25
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Byron Buxton went 3-for-5 with four runs, a double and a walk against the Athletics on Monday.

Byron Buxton had three hits including a double and a walk in the win over the A’s Monday. Even with the big game, Buxton is 7-for-36 (.194) with no home runs and one RBI in 10 games since being activated from the injured list. He’s hitting .256 with an .836 OPS and 46 RBI this year.
- Nick Shlain

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Chase DeLauter

CLE Right Fielder #24
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The Guardians are hopeful Chase DeLauter will play Tuesday after being scratched Monday with hamstring tightness.

They considered using DeLauter at DH tonight before deciding to play it safe. Angel Martínez had a double in four at-bats in his place.
- Matthew Pouliot

Injury

Source: Tim Stebbins

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Jeffrey Springs

ATH Starting Pitcher #59
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Jeffrey Springs allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings and took the loss against the Twins on Monday.

Springs gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out three. He fell to 3-12 with the loss. Springs pitched slightly better in his last start, but overall he hasn’t looked particularly sharp in either of his two starts since returning from the injured list. He has a 6.08 ERA. Springs isn’t a recommended fantasy option in his next starts against the Orioles at home on Sunday.
- Nick Shlain

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