Where Pirates See Endy Rodríguez at in 2027
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LAS VEGAS — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a few options for who could be their starting catcher in 2027 and Endy Rodríguez is definitely in the conversation.
Rodríguez had a strong 2026 campaign after being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis in mid-May, but injuries once again hampered him and forced him out.
It's been a tough few years for Rodríguez, and with him entering his first year of arbitration, the Pirates need to figure out if he has a future with the team.
2027 is a huge season for the Pirates, and they'll need the best from anyone, so Rodríguez staying healthy and contributing would be a huge positive for them.
Rehab Update on Endy Rodríguez
Rodríguez had issues with his glute and hip and ended up undergoing season-ending surgery on his left hip labrum on Aug. 26.
The original timeline the Pirates gave at the time of the surgery was seven to nine months, which would put him back around March to May 2027.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington spoke about Rodríguez at the General Managers' Meetings at the ARIA Resort and Casino on Nov. 10, giving an update on his injury.
Cherington was positive about Rodríguez, who said was down at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. working to get back to full fitness and making progress towards back to full health.
"He's doing good," Cherington said. "I just saw him down in Bradenton. He's back doing catching, you know, positional drills. He's not hitting yet. That'll come later.
"But every step of the rehab has been clear so far. He's got his mobility back. He'll still have some boxes to check in terms of strength and before he gets to hitting and all that. But there's nothing so far that suggests he's not going to recover just fine and be clear for 2027."
Do Pirates Still See Endy as Catcher in Future?
Rodríguez has previous injuries that have kept him playing just 63 games over the past three seasons, or about 13% of them.
An injury in winter ball in 2023 forced him to undergo reconstructive surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and flexor tendon in his right elbow and he didn't play for the Pirates in 2024.
Rodríguez made the 2025 Opening Day roster, but suffered a lacerated right index finger in April and then right elbow surgery came in August that kept him to just 18 games.
2026 was a strong showing for Rodríguez from the plate, hitting .267/.373/.467 for an OPS of .840 in 45 games, with 36 hits in 135 at-bats, six doubles, seven home runs, 20 RBI and 23 walks to 41 strikeouts.
He had some big moments and was the Pirates' starting catcher before the injuries caught up to him once again in July and August.
Cherington still sees Rodríguez as a vital part of the Pirates' catching group, which also includes Rafael Flores Jr. and Henry Davis.
They could move him to first base, where he can also play, but the Cherington and the Pirates still have confidence in Rodríguez having success from behind the plate.
"Yeah, we do," Cherington said on whether Rodríguez will still be a catcher in the future. "You know, reserve the right to reconsider that if it makes sense for him or the team. But right now, we do.
"The value of a switch-hitting catcher who can play the position athletically. It's really valuable. You want to hang on to that as tight as you can until it absolutely doesn't make sense to hang on to it anymore.
"And you know he's missed a lot of time, but it's, as I think about it, like it's not clear that any of the time he's missed is the result of an injury from catching specifically, which it's hard to prove entirely.
"But you know, it's not like, it's not like we know that that's the reason he's lost time. So more to learn. We'll keep learning. We'll keep talking to him and where he's at. But I don't see any reason why he can't catch, and he's really valuable back there."
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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.