Pirates catcher Luke Maile underwent surgery to repair a fractured right finger Friday, putting his chances of playing this season in serious jeopardy.
He is projected to return to resume what the team called "competitive baseball activities" in 10-12 weeks. Because of the shortened length of the season, that could potentially mean he will miss the 2020 campaign.
He suffered the injury after being hit in the hand with a pitch during Thursday's intrasquad game.
Maile, 29, signed this offseason to compete for the backup catcher job with John Ryan Murphy, though he was seen as the favorite since he was on the 40-man roster.
He batted .151 with two home runs, nine RBIs and a .440 OPS for the Blue Jays last year, but he is regarded as a very good defensive catcher.
With Maile out of the picture, it would appear Murphy would be Jacob Stallings' backup instead. He spent most of last season playing for the Braves' and Diamondbacks' AAA affiliates, and hit .175 with a .659 OPS over 70 major-league plate appearances. He is also graded as a very good defensive catcher and pitch framer.
Murphy will need to be added to the 40-man roster, but a spot should open up once Maile is put on the injured list.
Each team will need to have a catcher on their "taxi squad" in order to carry the maximum three extra players. It appeared Murphy was destined for this role.
The Pirates have two catchers in their alternate training site in Altoona, Pa.: Journeyman backup Andrew Susac and farmhand Christian Kelley.
Kelley slashed .179/.251/.282 with five home runs and 21 RBIs for AAA Indianapolis last year.
Susac played sparingly for the Royals' AAA affiliate last year, but did not reach the majors. Susac was invited to the Pirates' exhibition against the Indians Saturday.
To continue reading, log into your account:
