The Pirates may be staring at another long stretch without Endy Rodríguez, and this one could end with a trip to the operating room.
General manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan that surgery is now a real possibility for the catcher, who is on the 10-day injured list with left hip inflammation.
“Yeah that one’s going to take a little bit longer," Cherington said. I think, obviously he’s been kind of fighting this hip, glute issue.
We’ve tried different things. You know Endy, he wants to be out there.
Just proved to be too much.
“We’re getting some more information. I think surgery is at least a consideration on the table at this point.
We’re going to see what happens this week. He’s deliberating..."
Rodríguez’s latest issue has kept him out since Aug. 13, retroactive to Aug. 10, and he has now missed 12 games on this stint alone. Add in the 15 games he missed earlier this season because of a left glute injury, and he’s sat out 27 games overall in 2026.
That hip trouble didn’t appear out of nowhere. Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said the pain began in June, though it didn’t send Rodríguez to the injured list at the time. The problem has lingered, though, eventually showing up as the glute issue and now the hip inflammation.
Tomczyk also said on Aug. 17 that Rodríguez was seeking second opinions on how to move forward, which makes the possibility of surgery feel like the next step in a difficult run of bad luck.
It’s the latest chapter in a frustrating injury history for Rodríguez. He missed the entire 2024 season after surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon following an injury in 2023 winter ball.
In 2025, he appeared in just 18 games for Pittsburgh after a right index finger laceration in April, then a return that lasted only 10 days before right elbow inflammation sent him back to the injured list. That eventually led to surgery on his right elbow, centered on his ulnar nerve, and he missed the rest of the season.
The Pirates are hoping the end result is simpler this time: Rodríguez back healthy and back behind the plate as the hitter they’ve been waiting to see.
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