Pirates sign C Yasmani Grandal, LHP Josh Fleming, place pair on 60-day injured list

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal and left-handed pitcher Josh Fleming on Wednesday, the first official day for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training at Pirate City.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton indicated that the 35-year-old Grandal, who signed a one-year $2.5 million contract with $1 million in incentives, will be one of the catchers on their 26-man roster but stopped short of ordaining him the starter. That leaves Henry Davis, Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez to compete for the other spot.

”It’s a position that we liked to get a veteran guy in there,” Shelton said, “so we know Yaz is gonna catch, and then we’re gonna have competition for that other spot.”

Fleming signed a split contract that will pay him $850,000 if he’s on the major league roster, per a report by FanSided.com MLB insider Robert Murray. Fleming gives the Pirates a long reliever with experience as an opener, both positives for a staff short on starting pitchers. They cleared space on the 40-man roster for both by placing right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo and catcher Endy Rodriguez, who both underwent offseason surgery on their throwing elbows, on the 60-day injured list.

Fleming, a 2017 fifth-round pick, spent the past four seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays before being claimed off waivers in November by the Philadelphia Phillies, who non-tendered Fleming. The 27-year-old sinkerballer was 19-13 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 223 1/3 innings over 55 games, including 22 starts, in four seasons with the Rays. His best season was in 2021, when Fleming was 10-8 with a 5.09 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 104 1/3 innings over 26 appearances, including 11 starts.

“I think I’ll get an opportunity to start, be a long guy out of the bullpen, which is nice, and just having a solidified role,” Fleming said. “I know with the Rays I was doing a lot of different things, and I think here I’m gonna have more of a solidified role. Just very excited.”

Last year, Fleming went 2-0 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 51 2/3 innings over 12 appearances (three starts) and ranked in the 98th percentile in ground ball rate (61.6%) and 83rd percentile in barrel percentage (5.6%), per Statcast, but was among baseball’s worst in hard-hit rate (48.6%), strikeout percentage (11.3%) and whiff rate (17.6%). Fleming threw his sinker on 44% of pitches, complemented by a changeup and curveball. Batters hit .352 against the changeup last season, so Fleming is returning to the use of his cutter this spring.

Fleming said he talked with Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin, who indicated that the Pirates plan to use him first as a starter but left open the possibility of a long-relief role.

“He said we’ll start a few games, and we’ll see what the best path would be,” Fleming said.