The Pirates made a pair of roster moves tied together by one transaction: they acquired outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez from the Orioles, while Baltimore got cash considerations after designating him for assignment a few days earlier.
To make it all fit, Pittsburgh reinstated catcher Endy Rodríguez from the 10-day injured list and designated fellow catcher Shawn Ross for assignment. Ross was the moveable piece in the equation, clearing an active roster spot for Endy and a 40-man spot for Johnathan. The newly acquired Rodríguez has already been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Johnathan Rodríguez is 26 and still has a thin major league resume. He’s in his third big league season, but his time in the majors has amounted to just 132 plate appearances between the Guardians and Orioles. In that stretch, he has hit .177/.288/.301.
The minor league track record looks much better. Across four seasons and 1,337 plate appearances at Triple-A, he has posted a .295/.386/.508 line.
The question, of course, is whether that version of Rodríguez can make the jump. Baseball America’s scouting reports say he struggles with spin, which gives opponents a way to keep him in check by working away from fastballs.
That kind of approach is easier to execute in the majors, where secondary stuff is sharper than what many minor leaguers can consistently command.
For Pittsburgh, though, the move comes with little downside. Rodríguez is optionable for the rest of the year, so the club can keep him in Indianapolis and get a closer look without forcing the issue.
With Oneil Cruz injured, the Pirates’ big league outfield currently features Jake Mangum, Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdéz. First baseman Spencer Horwitz is close to returning from the injured list, and that could mean more time in the outfield for Ryan O’Hearn.
Rodríguez now gives the Pirates another optionable depth piece alongside Jhostynxon García if they need help later.
Ross’s stay on the roster always looked temporary. Pittsburgh brought him up a few days ago when catcher Rafael Flores landed on the IL, leaving Ross and Henry Davis as the catching tandem.
But Endy Rodríguez had already started a rehab assignment that same day, and after a few tune-up games, his return to the roster was expected. That has now happened, and Ross became the odd man out.
He did make the most of his brief chance. Ross appeared in two games and homered in his lone start, a memorable moment even if it did not change the organization’s long-term outlook on him.
The former undrafted free agent has built his game around a high-risk offensive profile: walks, power and a lot of strikeouts. Before his call-up, he had 193 plate appearances in the minors this season between Double-A and Triple-A, with 10 home runs, a 17.1% walk rate and a 37.3% strikeout rate.
That strikeout number is the kind that makes life almost impossible for a hitter at the major league level. Kyle Schwarber’s 34.3% strikeout rate is the highest among qualified hitters this year, and Ross was running even higher than that in the minors. The expectation is that big league pitching would only make the whiffs pile up faster over a longer look.
Ross is now in DFA limbo, which can last up to a week. Waivers take 48 hours, so Pittsburgh could spend five days gauging trade interest, though he could also be placed on waivers sooner. Because this was his first time on a big league roster, he has well under three years of service time and has never been outrighted, meaning he would not have the right to elect free agency if he clears waivers.
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