The Pittsburgh Pirates may be bracing for another hit to their lineup just before the All-Star break, and this one centers on Endy Rodríguez.
On Tuesday, the club put Rafael Flores Jr. on its taxi squad in the middle of the series against the Atlanta Braves, according to Pirates On SI’s Dominic Campbell. That move could be a sign that Rodríguez is headed for the injured list after leaving Pittsburgh’s 11-5 win over the Washington Nationals on July 5 with left side discomfort. He has not appeared for the Pirates since.
If Rodríguez does land on the IL, Henry Davis and Flores Jr. would likely handle catching duties for now.
The timing is rough for Pittsburgh, which already got bad news on Konnor Griffin. The Pirates said Griffin will miss about eight to 10 weeks after suffering a tear of the sagittal band in his left ring finger. Griffin, who signed a nine-year, $140 million extension with the club in April, had been one of the National League’s better rookies this season and remains a major part of the lineup when healthy.
Rodríguez has been just as important in his own way, putting together a breakout season with a .260/.388/.470 slash line, five home runs and 122 plate appearances. His defense has been a different story, and the same has been said of Griffin, but both players have given Pittsburgh reason to believe they can be core pieces for years.
A Rodríguez absence would push Davis into a bigger role behind the plate. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick has not found his bat in the majors, carrying a .559 OPS across 837 career plate appearances. Still, he brings value in the running game, with 3 caught stealing above average, which ranks in the 87th percentile, and a 1.86-second pop time, good for the 95th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.
Flores Jr. arrived in the deal that sent David Bednar to the New York Yankees at last year’s trade deadline. The 25-year-old has a 1.020 OPS in 22 major league plate appearances, though he has been below average at Triple-A Indianapolis this season with a .704 OPS.
For the Pirates, the short-term answer appears manageable if Rodríguez’s absence is brief. But losing him and Griffin at roughly the same time would still be a significant setback as the team tries to stay in the playoff race.
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Wilber Dotel is still working through his own recovery from a lat strain and is set for another minor-league rehab appearance as part of that process. The bigger concern, though, is Endy Rodrguez, who left a recent game with left side discomfort and remains under evaluation, adding another layer of uncertainty to a roster that could use a cleaner bill of health once the schedule flips. [Read more 🡒]