Catcher has been the one consistent position group struggling with the bat in Pittsburgh so far this season.
Starting catcher Henry Davis, still stellar while behind the dish, has limped to a .151/.263/.256 (.519 OPS) with two home runs and eight RBI in his first 100 plate appearances.
Joey Bart, meanwhile, got off to a cold start as well. He slashed just .158/.214/.263 (.477 OPS) with one home run and three RBI through his first 15 games. Bart had found a streak of success, going 9-for-20 in his last six games to skyrocket his batting average over 100 points.
But the catching department has caught bad luck in more ways than one. Just as Bart was looking like he might have turned a corner, he landed on the injured list with a left-foot problem.
In his absence, the Pirates recalled Endy Rodríguez from Triple-A Indianapolis. After getting off to a bit of a slow start, Rodríguez was slashing .263/.391/.316 (.707 OPS) in his last month’s work before receiving the promotion.
Rodríguez made an impact right away. In his first time up to bat in the bottom of the second inning, he drilled a slider thrown towards him from Chase Dollander out to the right field wall, smacking off the fence and allowing Rodríguez to make it easily to second.
Unfortunately for Rodríguez, he would be left stranded on second. Dollander was taken out one batter later in what appeared to be a precautionary for the right-hander. But it was a sign of things to come for the switch-hitter.
Pittsburgh really got to the Rockies in the third inning. Already up 3-0, the Pirates put two runners in scoring position with one out, chasing Dollander’s replacement, Brennan Bernardino, from the game. Colorado responded with sending righty Victior Vodnik out to the mound.
Vodnik issued a walk to load the bases when Rodríguez was up again. On the first pitch he saw, Rodríguez lined one to center field for a two-run single, extending Pittsburgh’s lead to five.
Rodríguez made it around to third base before the inning was over. His two runs brought in marked just the second time in his major league career he has a multi-RBI game. The only other time he achieved that mark was back on July 29th, 2023 when he had a four-RBI performance against Philadelphia.
He drew a walk in the fifth inning on five pitches, only two of which were semi-competitive. Only in the seventh inning and on Rodríguez’s fourth at-bat were the Rockies finally able to get him out, securing a 302-foot fly out to center field.
Rodríguez finished his day 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI, and an extra-base hit. Even in an offense that is much improved, it’s pretty rare for a Pirates catcher to have a stat line like that.
For Rodríguez, it’s the culmination of nearly two years worth of work getting back from injury. After suffering a UCL injury playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic, Rodríguez had to undergo subsequent surgery, costing him nearly the entire 2024 season. He had a brief rehab stint late in the year, but didn’t suit up for the Pirates.
Last season, Rodríguez made the team’s Opening Day roster ahead of Bart. His ability to also play first base, where he made his season debut last year, was one of the deciding factors in getting him on the roster.
Unfortunately for Rodríguez, his time back in the major leagues didn’t last for long. He played just 18 games in 2025, only three of them after April 14th, as injuries piled up and eventually resulted in another season-killing surgery.
Combining his minor league work, Rodríguez played just 36 games over the last two years. But now, operating with a clean bill of health, the soon-to-be 26-year-old Rodríguez is looking to pick up from where he was forced to leave off a few years ago.
The former New York Mets prospect slashed .220/.284/.328 (.612 OPS) with three home runs and 13 RBI in 57 games back in 2023. Though it was a small sample size, he didn’t show a lot of power against major league pitching. But he did show potential.
He doesn’t have to belt out 40 home runs to contribute to the Pirates, especially as the roster has improved dramatically in the three years between his debut and now. But he also doesn’t have to.
If he can chip in with hitting like he did today, that would go a long way in solidifying the bottom third of Pittsburgh’s batting order. It would also stand out from the subpar slash lines that both Pirate catchers have put up for the majority of the season.
Rodríguez has the chance to force Pittsburgh’s front office into having a tough conversation.
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