The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Rafael Flores Jr. from Triple-A Indianapolis on June 10 and placed catcher Henry Davis on the paternity list, a move that reshuffled Pittsburgh's catching depth ahead of the June 11 series finale against the Dodgers.
Flores, who had been added to the taxi squad the day before his recall, had spent the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he appeared in 53 games and posted a.207/.320/.324 line. He produced six doubles, two triples, four home runs and 27 RBI in that span before joining the big-league club on June 10.
The promotion came with immediate responsibility: the Pirates gave Flores the start behind the plate in the June 11 series finale against the Dodgers and slotted him eighth in the batting order. That start was only Flores' second MLB start at catcher; his first came Sept. 23, 2025, in a 4-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Henry Davis, who went on the paternity list during the Pirates' 9-8 win over the Dodgers on June 10, had appeared in 45 games for Pittsburgh this season. His offensive line was.138/.241/.285 with three doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI. Behind the plate Davis had played 44 games, posting a.993 fielding percentage, two defensive runs saved and a 52.6% caught-stealing rate.
The club's catching situation was already thin: Joey Bart remained on the 10-day injured list with a left-foot infection that dated to May 12, and Endy Rodríguez left the June 10 game after the seventh inning. That combination left Flores as the immediate replacement on the active roster when Davis departed.
Flores is no stranger to the Pirates' organization: he made his MLB debut with Pittsburgh last season after being acquired from the New York Yankees in the David Bednar trade at last year's deadline. He finished last season 3 for 15 with two doubles across seven big-league games.
The move answered the short-term question of who would catch for Pittsburgh in Davis's absence, but it also surfaced an unavoidable friction: Flores arrives from Indianapolis with modest Triple-A numbers, hitting just.207/.320/.324 over 53 games. The club is effectively relying on a player whose recent offensive production at Triple-A was limited to plug an immediate roster hole.
What happens next will matter for the Pirates' depth chart. Joey Bart began a rehab assignment with Low-A Bradenton on Wednesday and is expected to progress through that timetable, but the club has not specified how long Davis will remain on the paternity list. In the near term Flores is expected to continue filling the catching role while Pittsburgh assesses Bart's rehab and Endy Rodríguez's availability after his exit on June 10.
The recall solved a roster problem on June 10, put Flores into action on June 11, and left the organization with a clear short-term plan: use Flores while Bart works back from injury and await Davis's return. The unanswered, practical question for the team is how long that equilibrium will last: the duration of Davis's paternity leave remains unspecified, and Flores will have to produce more than his Triple-A line to keep the role steady.
