Pirates Have a Catcher Dilemma Brewing
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have four different catchers that they can turn to, which makes for a tough decision on which ones they'll keep on the major league roster moving forward.
The Pirates currently have both Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez on the 26-man roster, while Joey Bart is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis, as he works back from a left foot infection, and Rafael Flores Jr. is also in Triple-A.
Davis and Bart started season on the 26-man roster, with Rodríguez and Flores have had stints on the roster as well, giving the Pirates options for what they do with the position group moving forward.
Rodríguez, in particular, has performed incredibly well for the Pirates, which further complicates their catcher roster decisions.
Rodríguez Exceeding Expectations for Pirates
The Pirates haven't had any catcher hit as well as Rodríguez has, since he joined the team following Bart's injury on May 12.
He has slashed .268/.423/.482 for an OPS of .905 in 22 games, with 15 hits in 56 at-bats, three doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and 15 walks to 16 strikeouts.
Rodríguez was the Pirates' best hitter in the 11-2 defeat to the Athletics in the series opener at Sutter Health Park on June 15, hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning, a single in the sixth inning and walking twice to reach base in all four plate appearances.
It was the third home run that Rodríguez has hit in June, which includes a two-run home run in the 10-6 win over the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on June 2, plus second home run in four games, as he hit a solo home run in the 8-3 loss to the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 12.
Those three home runs in June are tied for the most on the Pirates alongside second baseman Brandon Lowe, good company for Rodríguez to find himself in.
Rodríguez is still adjusting at times from behind the plate, particularly with the ABS system and working with a new staff, but also finally having a healthy season, after missing most of the past two seasons with surgeries addressing his throwing elbow.
He's easily been the Pirates best catcher from the plate and is making it hard for the Pirates to send him back down to Triple-A.
Pirates Not Getting Enough From Davis
Davis has struggled again hitting for the Pirates in 2026 and is, statistically, the worst hitter on the team.
He has slashed .135/.236/.278 for an OPS of .514 in 46 games, with just 17 hits in 126 at-bats, three doubles, five home runs, 17 RBI and 14 walks to 31 strikeouts.
Davis had just one hit in June, the grand slam he hit in the 11-9 loss to the Astros on June 3, going 1-for-11 and walking twice to six strikeouts.
He has just two non-home run hits since the start of May, a single in the 7-6 extra innings loss to the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on May 10 and an RBI-single in the 9-3 win over the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park on May 31.
One of the main reasons for Davis' importance on the team is that he is Skenes' personal catcher, but that he is also a great defensive catcher, earning Gold Glove Award votes last season, and working well with the pitching staff overall.
Skenes has hit a little bit of a slump, with a 4.22 ERA over his last six starts, which he's taken four defeats and two no-decisions in.
The Pirates' defense has also not helped Skenes at times, but if Davis isn't hitting, nor is Skenes dominating like he did so last year with Davis from behind the plate, then there is a question to how much value Davis brings the team.
What Pirates Will Do When Bart is Healthy
Bart will eventually come off the 10-day injured list, following a tricky and long time out from the foot infection, which means the Pirates have to make a roster decision for their catchers.
He slashed .259/.290/.379 for an OPS of .669 in 21 games for the Pirates before going on the injured list and was hitting incredibly well in May, slashing .412/.412/.588 for an OPS of 1.000, with a four-hit game and a home run.
The Pirates may have thought they would just go back to Davis and Bart when he returned from injury, but Rodríguez is simply hitting too good for them to just do that without second thought.
Pittsburgh has to decide what they want from their catchers and if they believe Davis can turn it around, while also performing well from behind the plate and bolstering the pitching staff.
If they don't think so, Bart and Rodríguez might serve as the ideal pairing, while Davis goes back down to Triple-A.
Bart is also out of minor league options, so the Pirates will keep that in mind with whatever move they make in the coming weeks.
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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.