Pirates GM Ben Cherington offers thoughts on Paul Skenes' path, Henry Davis' demotion

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Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington conducted his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up as the club's top prospect, Paul Skenes, prepared to make his seventh start for Triple-A Indianapolis.

With Skenes posting a 0.39 ERA, 41 strikeouts and six walks to date at Triple-A, calls by the Pirates fan base for him to make his anticipated MLB debut have reached a crescendo.

"We talk about boxes being checked, and today would be another one," Cherington told host Joe Block. "It's the first time, as a professional … that he'll be starting a game on four days' rest. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is the first time it'll happen, and it's another box to check. He's been checking just about every box since the season started and responding incredibly well."

The 21-year-old, picked first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Pirates, has impressed Cherington with his work ethic.

"I'm sure there are moments where he thinks to himself, 'Why am I here?' Lots of players ask that question. But the beauty of him is that when he's at the park, he is one of the most incredibly focused guys that we've seen in the minor leagues. He's got a real drive — and I've said this before — but he's not just waiting for challenges. He's pursuing the challenge, and he wants the thing to be hard so he can get better. That's a pretty good trait."

Another one of the Pirates' former No. 1 overall picks, catcher Henry Davis, was sent down to Indianapolis this week amid considerable offensive struggles to begin the season.

Davis, 24, had been serving as the Pirates' everyday catcher, but at the plate he managed just a .162 average through 23 games and 68 at-bats.

He struck out 29 times and had zero homers and four RBIs.

"We see Henry as an important part of the 2024 Pirates, period," Cherington said. "He already has been a part of the team. Our vision is he's an important part of this team in 2024. In a lot of ways, paradoxically, we're even more convinced of that than we might have been in January when there were more unknowns."

Cherington noted that a major challenge for Davis this year, contributing to his offensive struggles and ensuing demotion, was hitting fastballs.

That said, Davis' offensive pedigree and relentless desire to improve himself give Cherington confidence that a stint with the Indians will be beneficial for Davis.

"His superpower is that he's going to go after whatever challenge is in front of him, work his tail off as hard as any player I've ever been around," Cherington said. "… He's not satisfied with any part of his game, including offense."

Cherington also touched on a pair of injured pitchers: reliever Ryan Borucki (left triceps inflammation) and starter Marco Gonzales (left forearm muscle strain). Gonzales has been on the 15-day injured list since April 14, while Borucki has been sidelined since April 6.

Cherington said he's confident both will be pitching again for the Pirates in 2024, although he did not offer specifics as to the timetables.

"At some point, there's going to be a chance to bring them back to the team when the're feeling ready," Cherington said. "They're both such pros, such hard workers, so diligent. They're going to do all the work necessary to give themselves the best chance."