Pirates Catcher Returns vs. Reds After Minor Injury
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates get back a catcher who returns after a small injury, as they take on the Cincinnati Reds in the series finale at Great American Ball Park.
Joey Bart was in the lineup for the series opener on Sept. 23, serving as designated hitter, but was a late scratch after dealing with left wrist discomfort, with Bryan Reynolds taking over at his spot.
He last started in the series finale vs. the Athletics on Sept. 21 at PNC Park, where he hit a three-run home run in the 11-0 victory. He had a strong last homestand for the Pirates, as he also hit another three-run home run in the series finale vs. the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 17.
Bart has played in 90 games for the Pirates in 2025, slashing .251/.358/.345 for an OPS of .703, 69 hits in 275 at-bats, 12 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 29 RBIs and 39 walks to 89 strikeouts.
He will take over at catcher from Henry Davis and bat sixth in the lineup, making his 75th start at catcher.
The Pirates will also face left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo, which takes both Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz, left-handed batters, out of the lineup.
Cruz also departed the previous game vs. the Reds on Sept. 24 with left ankle discomfort, after crashing into the wall in the eighth inning, with Jack Suwinski taking over for him.
Alexander Canario takes over in center field, batting seventh, while rookie Rafael Flores comes in at first base for Horwitz and bats eighth.
Flores made his first start at catcher in the series opener vs. the Reds, where he picked up a hit, and he made his MLB debut, starting vs. the Cubs in the series finale, getting a double.
Jared Triolo continues on at third base, but will leadoff after batting second, Nick Gonzales stays at shortstop, but moves up five spots to second in the batting order, and Nick Yorke continues on at second base, but drops one spot to ninth in the lineup, rounding out the Pirates' infield.
Bryan Reynolds stays in right field and bats third, while Tommy Pham continues on in left field and bats fifth, one spot up from the previous game, completing the Pirates' outfield.
Andrew McCutchen also stays at designated hitter and moves up one spot in the batting order to fourth, finishing the Pirates' lineup.
Rookie right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft makes his final start of 2025 for the Pirates, where he'll hope to complete a great first season at the MLB level.
Ashcraft started against the Reds on Aug. 9 at PNC Park, giving up an earned run over 3.1 innings, while posting five strikeouts over 56 pitches.
He just had probably his best outing of his young career out of the bullpen vs. the Athletics at PNC Park on Sept. 20. He threw three scoreless innings, not allowing a baserunner and tied his career-high of six strikeouts over 33 pitches in the 2-0 win.
Ashcraft last started vs. the Cubs in the series opener on Sept. 15, tying his season-high of three earned runs allowed over four innings and posting four strikeouts over 70 pitches in the 4-0 defeat.
He has started seven of 25 games this season for the Pirates, with a 4-3 record, a 2.62 ERA over 65.1 innings pitched, a .225 opposing batting average and a 1.19 WHIP.
The game, which had a first pitch time of 12:40 p.m., is currently in a rain delay.
Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup vs. the Cincinnati Reds
3B Jared Triolo
SS Nick Gonzales
RF Bryan Reynolds
DH Andrew McCutchen
LF Tommy Pham
C Joey Bart
CF Alexander Canario
1B Rafael Flores
2B Nick Yorke
Ready for some afternoon baseball.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 25, 2025
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.