Pirates Move Hints at Losing Endy Rodríguez
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The Pittsburgh Pirates may be on the verge of losing another key piece of their lineup ahead of the All-Star break.
The Pirates have placed Rafael Flores Jr. on their taxi squad in the middle of their series against the Atlanta Braves, as noted by Pirates On SI's Dominic Campbell, which could signal that a trip to the injured list is coming for Endy Rodríguez.
C/1B Rafael Flores Jr. is on the Pirates taxi squad
— Dominic Campbell (@DOMISMONEY) July 8, 2026
C/1B Endy Rodríguez left the Pirates win over the Nationals with left side discomfort, so could be an IL stint
Rodríguez departed Pittsburgh's 11-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on July 5 with left side discomfort and has not played for the club since.
Should Rodríguez hit the IL, Henry Davis and Flores Jr. would appear to be the Pirates' new catching duo for the time being.
What a Potential IL Trip Would Mean for Rodríguez and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh was hit with some devastating injury news upon learning that Konnor Griffin will be out for around eight-to-10 weeks with a tear of the sagittal band in his left ring finger.
Griffin, who signed a nine-year extension worth $140 million with the Pirates in April, had been one of the better rookies in the National League this season and is a key piece of the team's lineup when healthy.
The same can be said for Rodríguez, who is enjoying a breakout campaign to the tune of a .260/.388/.470 slash line with five home runs in 122 plate appearances.
Rodríguez's defense has lagged behind, and the same can be said for Griffin, but both are extremely promising young hitters who have all the makings of core pieces for Pittsburgh for years to come.
Potentially losing Rodríguez would mean that Davis, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, will see a healthy amount of time behind the plate for as long as the former is absent.
Davis' bat has never come along in the big leagues, evidenced by his .559 OPS in 837 career trips to the plate. Where he does thrive, however, is the run game, as his 3 caught stealing above average (87th percentile, per Baseball Savant) and pop time of 1.86 seconds (95th percentile) are both elite marks.
Flores Jr. came over in the trade that sent David Bednar to the New York Yankees at last year's trade deadline. The 25-year-old has a 1.020 OPS in 22 major league plate appearances, though he's performed at a below-average level for Triple-A Indianapolis this season with a .704 OPS.
The Pirates should be able to make do with the tandem of Davis and Flores Jr. for the time being assuming Rodríguez isn't out long-term.
Still, watching both him and Griffin go down around the same time is a pretty significant blow as they look to keep pace in the playoff race.
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Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.