Endy Rodriguez Injury Diagnosis is Good News for Pirates
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had catcher Endy Rodríguez available for the past week, but they could have him back in the near future.
The Pirates placed Rodríguez on the 10-day injured list on July 8, retroactive to July 6, with a left glute strain, which forced him to leave the last game he played, vs. the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 5, in the eighth inning.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke about Rodríguez on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan and said that the catcher avoided a serious injury and that they're expecting him back sometime after the All-Star break.
"With Endy, this was a Grade 1 strain. 1 is better than 2, 3, 4. Lower is better and so we think that means that this should recover relatively quickly," Cherington said.
"We’re hoping that, he's feeling better every day, we’re hoping the All-Star break helps. We’ll see where he is on the other side of the All-Star break. I don’t know if it’ll be exactly 10 days, but we’re hopeful it’s not much longer than that. He should be back pretty soon.”
Rodríguez Excelling With Pirates in 2026
The Pirates didn't bring up Rodríguez up until May 12, following Joey Bart suffering a left foot infection, but it was just the opportunity he needed to prove he deserved a spot in the major leagues.
Rodríguez has slashed .260/.388/.470 for an OPS of .858 in 35 games with the Pirates, with 26 hits in 100 at-bats, six doubles, five home runs and 21 walks to 29 strikeouts.
He started earning more starts at catcher than Henry Davis, especially in June, which also saw the Pirates keep Rodríguez on and trade away Bart to the Atlanta Braves on June 18, once he returned healthy.
Rodríguez had a great June as well, slashing .270/.352/.540 for an OPS of .892, with 17 hits in 63 at-bats, five doubles, four home runs, 13 RBI and eight walks to 17 strikeouts.
His best moment of the season came in the 11-7 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on June 29, hitting a three-run home run in the ninth inning, securing three big comeback for the Pirates, who trailed 5-0 after the third inning.
The Pirates would love to get Rodríguez back and have their best hitting catcher in the lineup on an almost every day basis, as they look to push for a spot in the postseason.
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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.