Pirates Place Catcher on Injured List Before Cubs Game
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates can't seem to have a healthy catcher corps and suffered another blow to their position group.
Pirates manager Don Kelly announced that they are placing catcher Rafael Flores Jr. on the injured list with concussion symptoms ahead of their series opener vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on July 24.
Kelly said that the injury occurred late in the second game of the doubleheader vs. the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 22 and that symptoms got worse over time.
“I think it was late in the game the other day," Kelly said pregame."He got hit pretty good. We went out and checked on him. It just seem to transpire over night, going into yesterday. Got checked out today and unfortunately, IL.”
Where Pirates Will Turn to With Flores Injured
Kelly also announced that the Pirates are activating catcher Shawn Ross off the taxi squad and making him available for the Cubs game.
The Pirates need to add Ross to both the 26-man roster and the 40-man roster, so they'll need to place someone on the 60-day injured list or designate a player for assignment.
Ross has played for both Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, slashing .181/.325/.432 for an OPS of .757 in 55 games, with 28 hits in 155 at-bats, nine doubles, 10 home runs, 25 RBI and 33 walks to 72 strikeouts.
Kelly said they like Ross' athleticism and just his work ethic over his four seasons with the Pirates, signing with the team after playing in NAIA with Clarendon Junior College in Clarendon, Texas and also after a stint in Indy ball.
The Pirates did give some good news on the injury front, as catcher Endy Rodríguez is starting a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis tonight.
Henry Davis is healthy and will be the Pirates main catcher, but Rodríguez returning soon would be a huge boost for the team going forward.
Flores and His 2026 Season So Far
Flores came back to the Pirates for his second stint of 2026 on July 8, as they placed Rodríguez on the 10-day injured list with a left glute hamstring.
He has just two hits in 12 at-bats for a .167 batting average and two walks to two strikeouts in six games in July for Pittsburgh.
The Pirates brought Flores up for the first time back on June 10, as Davis went on the Paternity Leave list.
Flores played twice vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC park, walking before Tyler Callihan hit a three-run home run in the 9-8 win on June 10 and then hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning of the 8-6 loss on June 11, his first MLB home run.
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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.