Plawecki signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Sunday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though he won't be heading into spring training as a member of the Pirates' 40-man roster, Plawecki may be in the best position to make the Opening Day squad as the No. 2 backstop behind Austin Hedges. Beyond Hedges, prospect Endy Rodriguez is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, but the 22-year-old doesn't have any prior big-league experience and has three minor-league options remaining, making him a strong candidate to head to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the year. Plawecki, meanwhile, owns a .235/.313/.341 slash line (80 wRC+) over parts of eight seasons in the majors, though he's coming off a rough 2022 campaign in which he spent time with both the Red Sox and Rangers organizations.