Pirates claim C Tyler Heineman off waivers, DFA Andrew Knapp

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a pair of moves at catcher Monday, claiming Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays and designating Andrew Knapp for assignment.

Heineman, 30, is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound switch hitter who has slashed .221/.284/.324 with four doubles, one home run and four RBIs in 30 career games over three seasons with Miami, San Francisco and Toronto.

The Blue Jays signed Heineman on March 13, and he started the season with Triple-A Buffalo before Danny Jansen went on the injured list with an oblique injury. In 10 games with Toronto, Heineman batted .267 (4 for 15) with two doubles and an RBI.

Knapp, who signed with the Pirates just before Opening Day, batted .129 (4 for 31) with one double and two RBIs in 11 games as the backup catcher. When starter Roberto Perez injured his hamstring, however, the Pirates turned to Michael Perez as the starter.

Knapp fell out of favor after he was ejected in the sixth inning in the first game of a doubleheader May 7 at Cincinnati. That put the Pirates in a bad spot when Roberto Perez was injured in the eighth inning and infielder Josh VanMeter was forced to catch as the Reds scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth in the 9-2 win.

Knapp was behind the plate for the Pirates on Saturday night, when Zach Thompson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of a 3-1 win over the Reds. But it was a bad sign for Knapp when Pirates manager Derek Shelton made it clear over the weekend the team wasn’t planning to use a 50-50 split with catching duties.