Pirates' Endy Rodríguez Nearing Return From Injury
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a plethora of injuries, but one of their catchers is set to comeback in the near future.
Pirates catcher Endy Rodríguez started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on July 24, starting at catcher and batting second against Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Phillies) at home.
Rodríguez had a solid outing, hitting a double in the second inning and hitting into a ground out that scored a run in the third inning in the 6-3 defeat, marking his first game play in almost three weeks.
It's a big moment for Rodríguez, who the Pirates need back in their lineup and producing like he was prior to his latest injury.
Why Rodríguez Hasn't Played Recently
The Pirates placed Rodríguez on the 10-day injured list on July 8, retroactive to July 6 with a left glute strain.
Rodríguez suffered the injury in the 11-5 win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 5 after a single in the eighth inning, with fellow catcher Henry Davis coming in for him.
The Pirates were optmistic that Rodríguez wouldn't miss much time, but that they wanted to practice caution with a soft issue injury like he had.
It's similar to first baseman Spencer Horwitz, who went on the injured list after a left hamstring strain, and is with Single-A Bradenton on a rehab assignment down there that he also started this week.
Rodríguez was in Bradenton this past week, hitting in the batting cages and doing catcher work, per his latest Instagram post, showing he was ready to get back to full game play.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington also said that Rodríguez would start a rehab assignment this week on his radio show and it coming to fruition proves that he's closer to a full return.
Rodríguez Excelling From Plate With Pirates
Injuries have hurt Rodríguez and his development with the Pirates, playing just 18 games over the past two seasons at the major league level after two serious right elbow surgeries and a right index finger laceration.
Rodríguez has been healthy most of 2026 and it's been huge for him, as he's finally displayed the bat that the Pirates hoped he would over these past few seasons.
He slashed .260/.388/.470 for an OPS of .858 in 35 games, with 26 hits in 100 at-bats, six doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI and 21 walks to 29 strikeouts.
Rodríguez played good enough that the Pirates traded away catcher Joey Bart to the Atlanta Braves when he came back healthy from a left foot infection, that allowed Rodríguez to join the Pirates on May 12 after spending the first part of the season with Indianapolis.
He was also the starting catcher, with Davis getting less games behind the plate, as Rodríguez hit as well as he did.
The Pirates need Rodríguez back sooner, as backup catcher Rafael Flores Jr. just went on the 7-day injured list with concussion symptoms, and they are down to Shawn Ross, who has never played in the major leagues before.
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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.