Rafael Flores Jr. Fantasy Stats

The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed catcher/first base prospect Rafael Flores Jr. on their taxi squad on Tuesday, according to Pirates reporter Alex Stumpf. Flores, 25, made his major-league debut in 2025 with the Bucs, but he only appeared in seven games and went 3-for-15 with two doubles, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He could be on the verge of a return to the big leagues despite hitting just .207 (39-for-188) with four home runs, 27 RBI, 21 runs scored, 29 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 53 games and 219 plate appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis this year. Per MLB Pipeline, the 6-foot-3, 232-pounder is the Pirates' eighth-ranked prospect. Flores has some intriguing power potential, especially with eligibility as a catcher, but he also swings and misses quite often, and he really struggled back in spring training at the plate. He's a work in progress behind the dish, but he has the potential to stick at the position long term, despite his size. If he rejoins the Pirates in the near future, he's likely to operate in a bench role.

Pittsburgh Pirates first base/catcher prospect Rafael Flores is getting called up from Triple-A Indianapolis for what will be his major league debut. The Pirates' eighth-ranked prospect came over to Pittsburgh in the trade that sent David Bednar to the Yankees in early August. During his time at Indianapolis, the 24-year-old hit .281 with six home runs in 36 games, and for the season, he is slashing a solid .280/.354/.470 with 22 home runs. The strikeout rate is somewhat elevated at 25.7 percent, but if he can continue to hit for power while drawing walks at a decent rate, it may not matter. Current Pirate backstops Joey Bart and Henry Davis have combined for eight home runs this season and are hitting a combined .201, so Flores could provide an offensive boost at the position, although he won't be fantasy relevant unless he's getting regular starts, which remains to be seen.

The New York Yankees sent catching prospect Rafael Flores and two other prospects for Pirates closer David Bednar, according to Jon Heyman. Flores ranked as the number eight prospect for the Yankees and has been incredibly productive over the past two seasons. He cruised through High-A and Double-A in 2024, posting a combined 21 homers with eight steals and a 152 wRC+ across the two levels. The 24-year-old stayed at Double-A to begin 2025, and slashed .287/.346/.496 with 15 homers and six steals in 370 plate appearances before being promoted to Triple-A. While he was older for the level, it's positive to see him crush that level. Flores hasn't been quite as good at the highest level of the minors with a 99 wRC+, but has posted the highest walk rate of his career at 22.4 percent. Touted for his framing ability on the defensive side, Flores is MLB-ready and could debut with Pittsburgh soon. He'll be someone to keep an eye on in two-catcher leagues in deep leagues.

New York Yankees catcher/first base prospect Rafael Flores was promoted to Double-A Somerset at the end of June. Though he struggled initially, slashing .197/.303/.379 with six extra-base hits, six RBI, and 9:24 BB/SO through his first 17 games, he has played exceptionally well since the All-Star Break. Over his last 16 games, Flores is slashing .312/.382/.607 with eight extra-base hits, 12 RBI, and 7:18 BB/SO. In 90 total games between High-A and Double-A, Flores has a .854 OPS, 23 doubles, 14 home runs, 53 RBI, and 54:97 BB/SO. The Yankees' No. 25 prospect (per MLB.com), he's expected to make his MLB debut sometime next year.