The New York Mets have traded catcher Tyler Heineman to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations. Right-hander Max Castillo was designated for assignment in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for the backstop. The 32-year-old split the 2023 season between the Pirates and Blue Jays organizations and was productive in Toronto where he hit .276 with an .812 OPS in a small 37-plate-appearance sample size. At the same time, he hit just .214 with one home run and five stolen bases across 36 games at Triple-A Buffalo within the Jays organization. All told, he is a career .218 hitter with one homer and five steals across 283 MLB plate appearances with the Marlins, Giants, Pirates, and Blue Jays.
The Pittsburgh Pirates reassigned catcher Tyler Heineman to Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned right-hander Yerry De Los Santos to Indianapolis on Tuesday. The team also released catcher Kevin Plawecki from his minor-league contract. Heineman, 31, will open the year in the minors as catching depth for the organization behind Austin Hedges and Jason Delay. He's hit just .214 with one home run and 12 RBI in 82 career games with the Pirates, Giants, Marlins and Blue Jays. De Los Santos, 25, had a 4.91 ERA (4.01 FIP), 1.29 WHIP, three saves and 26 strikeouts in 25 2/3 relief innings in his major-league debut for Pittsburgh in 2022. He should get another shot in the Bucs' bullpen at some point in 2023.
Joey Bart Sits Saturday, Tyler Heineman Behind The Dish
San Francisco Giants catcher Joey Bart will take a seat Saturday versus San Diego and right-hander Zach Davies, ceding way to Tyler Heineman. Bart has been striking out in droves during his first exposure to big league pitching, having recorded at least one K in each of his last eight games. While he has posted an above-average 47.5% Hard Hit rate, he is yet to collect his first home run. Should the Giants make the postseason, Bart would garner considerable interest in DFS contests due to the nature of the thin catchers market.
