For a few weeks in 2026, Endy Rodríguez looked like the catcher the Pirates had been waiting for.
He was hitting to all fields, getting on base, showing real pop and forcing his way into the conversation as Pittsburgh’s everyday option behind the plate. After so many seasons chopped up by injuries, Rodríguez finally seemed to be turning promise into production.
Then the injury bug struck again, and just like that, his season was gone.
That leaves the Pirates with a tricky offseason call. Rodríguez is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time, and Pittsburgh has to decide whether to bet on the bat it saw this year or keep factoring in the long list of health setbacks that have followed him around.
MLB Trade Rumors projects Rodríguez at $1.2 million in 2027, which is a manageable figure even for a team that tends to watch every dollar. But the catching picture has changed enough that his spot no longer looks nearly as secure as it did not long ago.
Rodríguez’s 2026 production was impressive in a small sample. He played in 45 games and hit .267/.373/.467 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and an .840 OPS. The plate discipline was better, the power showed up, and for a stretch he even looked like he had moved ahead of Henry Davis as Pittsburgh’s preferred starter.
The problem was that he could never stay on the field long enough to make it matter.
Rodríguez missed time in July with a left glute strain, then landed back on the injured list in August with hip inflammation. On Aug. 26, he had season-ending surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip. The Pirates said the recovery timetable was seven to nine months before he could resume baseball activities, which could push back the start of his 2027 season as well.
That was only the latest chapter in a brutal run of injuries. Rodríguez had Tommy John surgery and a flexor tendon repair in December 2023, wiping out his entire 2024 major league season. He returned in 2025, then had another procedure on his right elbow in August to address an ulnar nerve issue.
With the hip surgery added to the list, Rodríguez has appeared in just 63 major league games over the last three seasons. At some point, the Pirates have to decide how much faith they still have in the player versus how much they’re willing to trust the idea of the player.
What makes the decision harder is that Pittsburgh has other catching options now.
Rafael Flores Jr., acquired from the Yankees in the David Bednar trade, became one of the team’s more encouraging offensive stories. In 47 games, he hit .264/.331/.527 with 11 home runs, 25 RBI and an .858 OPS, giving himself a real chance to carve out a bigger role in 2027.
There are still questions about Flores on defense and about whether he can consistently handle a major league staff. He had his rough moments behind the plate, though his throwing improved as the year went on. Even so, the bat is loud enough to matter, especially for a Pirates lineup that could use more power.
Then there’s Davis, still trying to live up to the expectations that came with being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Offensively, 2026 was rough: he hit .172/.272/.313 with a .585 OPS.
But Davis has found another way to help. He finished with eight defensive runs saved and became one of baseball’s better defensive catchers, especially at controlling the running game. His comfort with Paul Skenes and the Pirates’ young pitching staff also strengthens his case to stay in the mix.
So Pittsburgh now has three young catchers with three different selling points. Flores brings offense.
Davis brings defense. Rodríguez, when healthy, offers the most complete package of the three.
That’s the heart of the decision. Tender him, and the Pirates are saying they still believe Rodríguez’s 2026 surge was a real sign of what’s ahead. Move on, and they’re signaling that the injuries have worn down their patience and that Flores and Davis have made him replaceable.
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Bryan Reynolds Down Year May Not Be What Pirates Fans Think
Bryan Reynolds 2026 season looked like a step back on the surface, at least by the home run column. He finished with 17, a total that can make a middle-of-the-order bat seem quieter than it really was, especially as his production dipped in the second half and the eye test started to match the raw numbers a little too neatly.
The fuller picture is a bit more encouraging for the Pirates. Reynolds still turned in career-best marks in barrel rate and hard-hit rate, and he led MLB with 40 doubles, which suggests the contact quality never really vanished. Some of the advanced metrics also hint that the park and weather may have taken a bite out of his power output, leaving open the possibility that his down year was not quite as down as it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]