PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A year after the Pirates drafted catcher Henry Davis first overall, the talk was about another catcher. Now Endy Rodriguez is healthy and made a splash in his first game in the majors in nearly a year Thursday.
Rodriguez doubled in his first at bat, had a two-run single in his next and received praise from his teammates after barely playing dealing with an elbow injury for most of two seasons.
"It went great, it was good to see him back out there,” said pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski. “I know it's been a little bit of a grind for him with the last few years, with some injuries to his arm. I think at the end of the day, everybody's just happy he's back in the big leagues.”
Then came the comment that, albeit one game back, that made you consider the rest of the year.
“I think he's a special player,” Mlodzinski said. “I don't want to say he's got swept under the rug a little bit in a sense, but he was, in a sense, a superstar coming up. He's a special player in my mind.”
“He’s awesome, man,” said first-year Pirate Ryan O’Hearn. “I saw him a little bit in spring training and he brings great energy. He showed that today. I’m really happy for Endy, if he can help us out in any way, that’s awesome. Stoked to have him, he had great at bats today.”
“The last couple years, as we know, dealing with the injuries and the way that he's gone through it and gone about it with the attitude that he has, the energy,” said Pirates manager Don Kelly. “He's so positive. It's really cool to see him have that game today. To come up and hit the ground running. Couple hits, played really well defensively, caught the ball well, called a good game."
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Rodriguez was the team’s best minor league player in 2022, with 39 doubles, 25 home runs, a .409 on-base percentage and .997 OPS. And he can hit from both sides of the plate.
Pirates believe hits are coming for Davis, he isn’t striking out and hit some balls really hard and hasn’t been rewarded. He’s still less than two months into some major swing changes, and maybe he will snap out of this, but he’s hitting .151 with five extra base hits in 2026.
Davis is a better defensive player and has much more experience with this pitching staff, particularly with Paul Skenes. That is a big voice to have in your corner, but Rodriguez has also caught Skenes. The defense for Rodriguez, still just 25-years-old, is improving.
“Defense has been solid,” said Pirates GM Ben Cherington. “He’s receiving well, throwing well. Game calling, feedback has been really positive about Endy defensively. To hit and play defense, there’s a reason not many guys do both. Endy is capable of doing both.”
Cherington is quick to say he’s only here because Joey Bart is on the Injured List and might be back in a few days.
“We have a ton of confidence in (Rodriguez),” Cherington said before Thursday’s game. “He’s a really talented player. We believe he can be an everyday catcher in the long term. I’m excited to see him play in a Major League game today for the first time in a long time.”
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He went 2 for 3 with a pair or RBIs and handled five different pitchers well.
“I think he's going to keep getting reps, keep getting better,” Mlodzinski said.
If that happens, it raises some interesting decisions.
Reaction to catcher returning, might he become a factor
Reaction to catcher returning, might he become a factor
