Pirates Catcher Starting Rehab Assignment
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NEW YORK — The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting closer to having a catcher return back to the MLB and healthy.
The Pirates announced that catcher/infielder Endy Rodríguez will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on May 14.
C/INF Endy Rodríguez will begin a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis tonight.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 14, 2025
Rodríguez suffered a right index finger laceration while catching for pitcher Paul Skenes against the Washington Nationals on April 14 at PNC Park.
Skenes would bounce a curveball, which hit Nationals left fielder James Wood, but also hit off of Pirates catcher Endy Rodríguez's throwing hand.
The Pirates medical staff treated Rodríguez and manager Derek Shelton determined that he had to make a change, bringing in Henry Davis at catcher.
They would put stitches in Rodríguez's hand and eventually placed him on the Injured List on April 15.
Rodríguez received clearance for resuming light baseball activities back on April 24, where he participated in light tosses and drills.
Rodríguez has made five starts at catcher for the Pirates this season and has also started at first base, doing so nine times this season, as Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz is on a rehab assignment himself.
Joey Bart has served as the starting catcher, while Davis is working as backup and serving as Skenes' main catcher.
The Pirates have also had Enmanuel Valdez play first base in Rodríguez's absence, but with his recent injury, Matt Gorski and Jared Triolo are the solo options at the position.
Rodríguez has made it back-to-back seasons with injury issues, forcing him to sit out.
He suffered an injury during winter ball following the 2023 season and underwent reconstructive surgery on ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and flexor tendon on Dec. 12, which kept him out for the 2024 campaign.
Rodríguez did come back for 10 games at the end of 2024, playing six with the Double-A Altoona Curve and four with Indianapolis.
He had a solid showing in spring training, slashing .321/.486/.571 for an OPS of 1.057., with nine hits, two doubles, a home run, six RBIs and nine walks in 14 games.
Rodríguez has slashed .178/.260/.244 for an OPS of .504, with eight hits in 45 at-bats, three doubles, two RBIs and five walks to 12 strikeouts for the Pirates this season.
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.