Pirates Have Serious Catcher Problem Heading into 2027
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates still have a month until their 2026 season comes to a close, but they have one position of dire need for 2027.
The Pirates must upgrade at catcher, or at the very least, find different options that they will get the best out of to get the best out of the position group moving forward.
Pittsburgh still doesn't have a plan for who is their starting catcher going forward, with a multitude of problems such as injury, poor hitting and lack of assurance of whether they can play the position or not.
The Pirates have three catchers on their roster for next season in Endy Rodríguez, Henry Davis and Rafael Flores Jr. and all three have big concerns.
Endy Rodríguez Just Can't Stay Healthy
Rodríguez has struggled to stay on the field and he's undergone another serious operation that's ended his 2026 campaign.
He elected for surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip on Aug. 26, which has him slated for a return to baseball activities for seven to nine months, in March to May 2027.
A return to baseball activities doesn't mean that Rodríguez will be ready to play for the Pirates at that time, and could not be able to play until June or even July, depending on the severity of this injury rehab and how he responds to it.
This is the third serious surgery that Rodríguez has had since the end of the 2023 season, which includes two right elbow surgeries, ending his 2024 season and holding him to 18 games in 2025.
Rodríguez is the best hitting catcher the Pirates have and was excellent in his 45 games this season, batting .267/.373/.467 for an OPS of .840, with six doubles, seven home runs and 20 RBI.
The issue is not if Rodríguez can play at the major league level, but rather, can he actually stay healthy over the course of a season and produce like the Pirates hope he can.
Rodríguez is arbitration-eligible for the first time and he is a likely non-tender candidate, despite him not making much money in his first round of arbitration anyway.
The impending lockout that will come on Dec. 1, when the collective bargaining agreement expires, also means that the Pirates won't have contact with Rodríguez during that time and could complicate his rehab process.
Rodríguez showed improvements throughout his game, so there's potential for him to come back and be even better when at full health.
The issue is if he can ever get to that stage in his career where he is someone the Pirates can rely on as their everyday catcher.
Henry Davis Just Can't Hit the Baseball
The Pirates have had high hopes for Davis and him eventually becoming the hitter they drafted him first overall for in 2021.
Davis has never reached that potential, or even come close, hitting .177/.263/.295 for an OPS of .558 in 271 games and has been poor again in 2026, hitting .167/.265/.295 for an OPS of .560 in 85 games.
The numerous changes to his swing and work in the offseason and words of confidence from the Pirates brass haven't resulted in Davis becoming a decent hitter whatsoever.
Davis did develop into an elite defensive catcher, who has a great arm and can throw out would-be base stealers, while he's also helped the Pirates pitching staff greatly since 2025 and became Paul Skenes' personal catcher.
While his defensive improvements and work with the 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner deserve plaudits, Davis is a serious liability in this Pirates lineup and hits most of his potential home runs 30 feet wide left of the left field foul pole.
Davis does give the Pirates a good backup option and someone who will stick around and help out their pitchers, but him ever becoming a competent hitter at the major league level becomes less and less likely by the day.
Can Rafael Flores Jr. Become a Good Defensive Catcher?
The Pirates landed Flores in the David Bednar trade with the New York Yankees at the 2025 trade deadline, as a right-handed power bat at the catcher position.
Flores has shown that power in 2026, hitting five home runs over seven games from Aug. 13-19, and putting up intriguing exit velocity and distance figures.
He also became the first Pirates player to hit two home runs off the bench, hitting two solo home runs in the 4-3 comeback win over the Detroit Tigers.
Flores is taking advantage of the opportunities given to him following Rodríguez's injuries and Davis' poor hitting, but him becoming the Pirates' everyday catcher isn't a certainty.
He isn't the best from behind the plate and doesn't catch base stealers regularly enough to make him a strong enough defensive option from behind the plate.
Flores has made visible improvements in that regard and also done incredibly well with Braxton Ashcraft over his past three starts, while also instilling confidence in other Pirates pitchers, which is encouraging to see from him.
This final month of 2026 is huge for Flores and if he can hit a few more home runs and improve from behind the plate, the Pirates will definitely make sure he's a part of their plans for 2027.
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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.