Pirates Catcher Placed on Waivers

The Pirates acquired Sullivan from the San Diego Padres in a trade on April 16, sending outfielder Bryce Johnson the other way.

Triple-A Indianapolis activated Sullivan on April 22 and he played in 20 games, slashing .211/.250/.324 for an OPS of .574, with 15 hits in 71 at-bats, a double, two triples, a home run, 10 RBIs and four walks to 10 strikeouts.

The Pirates selected Sullivan's contract on June 7, addressing depth concerns at catcher.

Endy Rodríguez departed the game vs. the Phillies on June 6 after just the first inning, dealing with right elbow discomfort that prevented him from going further and brought Henry Davis in the game. The Pirates then placed him on the 10-day Injured List.

Joey Bart also suffered a concussion vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 27 and hadn't received clearance.

The Pirates currently only have one catcher on the roster in Davis. Bart is on a rehab assignment with Indianapolis, but this move likely signals he'll return.

Sullivan hails from Stockton, Calif., playing for Lincoln High School in the city and then playing collegiately for Pacific.

The Tampa Bay Rays took Sullivan with the No. 508 pick in the 17th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.

Sullivan played six seasons in the minors for the Rays, before electing free agency on Nov. 7, 2021 signing a major league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Dec. 6.

The Brewers traded Sullivan to the Padres on April 6, 2022, along with outfielder Kory Howell for catcher/first baseman Victor Catarini.

Sullivan spent the 2022 season with Triple-A El Paso, before earning his first MLB call-up on April 16, 2023. He played in 33 games with the Padres that season, slashing .210/.244/.284 for an OPS of .528, with 17 hits in 81 at-bats, three doubles, one home run, six RBIs and four walks to 19 strikeouts.

He played in seven games with the Padres in 2024, with just three hits in 16 at-bats for a .188 batting average.