Jason

Delay

Delay is heading back to Indianapolis with Joey Bart activated off the injured list. The 29-year-old backstop will remain organizational depth available if needed if there’s another injury for Pittsburgh behind the plate.

With Henry Davis (concussion) landing on the injured list on Saturday, Delay will return to share the catching duties with Yasmani Grandal for the immediate future. The 29-year-old has hit just .194/.265/.258 with zero homers, five RBI and a 12/2 K/BB ratio in 10 games at Triple-A Indianapolis this season.

Delay had been sidelined with right knee inflammation. He’ll go back to being the fourth catcher on the Pirates’ depth chart, though he’s No. 3 right now with Yasmani Grandal out.

The injury isn’t believed to be serious and Delay should be ready to return in a couple of weeks. Whether he will have a spot on the active roster, remains in question. Joey Bart was added to the active roster in a corresponding move on Wednesday.

Grandal, who is dealing with plantar fasciitis this spring, has progressed to catching and hitting three times per week, but remains questionable for Opening Day since he’s yet to resume running. His absence opens the door for Henry Davis to get some extended run at catcher to open the year with Jason Delay in a backup role.

After starting the last five games for the Pirates, Rodriguez will get a day off to rest his legs. The young backstop is hitting .229/.295/.356 with two homers across 129 plate appearances. Jason Delay will handle the catching duties in his place Sunday afternoon.

Rodriguez will surely start in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Reds. The 23-year-old is still adjusting to the majors, slashing .222/.290/.429 with two homers across 69 plate appearances. Jason Delay will bat ninth and catch righty Mitch Keller in his absence.

The rookie has started four of the last six games behind the dish but will take a seat for Jason Delay on Thursday. Despite an elevated 33.8 percent strikeout rate, Rodriguez has started to come around of late, collecting five hits in his last three starts. He’s hitting just .237/.308/.458 on the year, but that figures to improve as he continues to get comfortable.

He’ll take the place of Austin Hedges after the veteran backstop was dealt to the Rangers just before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Delay, 28, has hit .260/.328/.375 with one homer and 10 RBI in 118 plate appearances with the Pirates this season. He’ll share the load with Endy Rodriguez behind the plate going forward.

Delay has been shipped out with top catching prospect Endy Rodríguez ascending to the majors for Monday’s series opener against the Guardians.