The Pittsburgh Pirates are running out of runway to solve their catcher situation, and the problem is staring them in the face as 2027 approaches.
They do have three catchers lined up for next season - Endy Rodríguez, Henry Davis and Rafael Flores Jr. - but each comes with a major question mark. Injuries have slowed Rodríguez.
Davis still hasn’t hit. Flores has flashed power, but the Pirates still don’t know if he can handle the job every day behind the plate.
Rodríguez is the most complete hitter in the group, and when he was healthy in 2026, he showed exactly why the Pirates have kept betting on him. In 45 games, he hit .267/.373/.467 with an .840 OPS, along with six doubles, seven home runs and 20 RBI.
But availability has become the real issue. He had surgery on Aug. 26 to repair the labrum in his left hip, and he is expected to return to baseball activities in seven to nine months, which puts that timeline somewhere between March and May 2027.
That doesn’t mean he’ll be ready to play then. Depending on how the rehab goes, his return to game action could slide into June or even July. It’s another setback in a string of them: Rodríguez has now had three major surgeries since the end of the 2023 season, including two right elbow operations that ended his 2024 season and limited him to 18 games in 2025.
The Pirates also have to weigh what to do with Rodríguez from a roster standpoint. He is arbitration-eligible for the first time and looks like a likely non-tender candidate, even though his first trip through arbitration wouldn’t cost much. There’s also the looming Dec. 1 lockout, when the collective bargaining agreement expires, which could leave the Pirates without contact with Rodríguez during a critical stretch and complicate his rehab.
Still, the talent is obvious. Rodríguez improved across the board, and there’s at least a path back to him becoming more than just the best hitter in the group - if he can finally stay on the field.
Davis has taken the opposite road. The Pirates drafted him first overall in 2021 hoping for a middle-of-the-order bat, but that version of him has never shown up.
Across 271 games, he is hitting .177/.263/.295 with a .558 OPS, and 2026 hasn’t changed the story. In 85 games this season, he’s at .167/.265/.295 with a .560 OPS.
The organization has tried plenty of fixes. His swing has been tweaked.
The offseason work has been emphasized. Confidence has been talked up from the Pirates’ side.
None of it has turned him into a dependable major league hitter.
What Davis has become is something else entirely: an elite defensive catcher. He has a strong arm, controls the running game and has helped the pitching staff since 2025.
He also became Paul Skenes’ personal catcher. Those gains matter, and they deserve credit.
But the bat is a real problem, and the Pirates can’t ignore it. He remains a backup option who can help pitchers, but his chances of becoming a legitimate offensive threat keep fading.
Then there’s Flores, the right-handed power bat Pittsburgh picked up from the Yankees in the David Bednar trade at the 2025 deadline. He has made the most of his chance in 2026, especially during a hot stretch from Aug. 13-19, when he hit five home runs in seven games. He also posted eye-opening exit velocity and distance numbers, and he made a little team history by becoming the first Pirates player to hit two home runs off the bench, doing it in a 4-3 comeback win over the Tigers.
Flores is clearly forcing his way into the conversation. With Rodríguez hurt and Davis struggling at the plate, he’s getting opportunities and making noise.
But the Pirates still don’t know if he can be the everyday answer. His work behind the plate remains a concern.
He doesn’t throw out enough base stealers to be viewed as a firm defensive solution, though he has shown noticeable progress. He’s also done well with Braxton Ashcraft over his last three starts and has helped build trust with other Pirates pitchers, which is a good sign.
That makes this last month of 2026 especially important for Flores. If he keeps driving the ball and keeps improving defensively, Pittsburgh will have a much easier time deciding that he belongs in the 2027 plans.
In Other News...
Pirates Have Two September Roster Calls That Suddenly Matter More
September is about to give the Pirates a little more room to maneuver, and two roster spots suddenly carry more weight than they usually would this time of year. When active rosters expand from 26 to 28, clubs can add an extra pitcher, and for Pittsburgh that opens the door for a couple of young names that fit immediate needs as much as long-term plans.
Khristian Curtis has already logged two major-league appearances this season, and his return would give the Pirates another arm to lean on once he becomes eligible after being optioned in late August. Jack Brannigan also makes sense as a September add, especially with rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin working back from injury, since Brannigan can help stabilize the infield defensively while the roster waits for Griffin to return. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Bullpen Gets An Interesting Lefty Twist Before Cardinals Series
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The appeal is pretty straightforward: Sisk brings another lefty option, and the Pirates are hoping that versatility helps them manage matchups in the late innings. He had been effective before an injury interrupted his run with the team, which is why this promotion feels less like a shuffle and more like a chance to reinsert a familiar arm into a bullpen that could use the extra flexibility. The real test now is how quickly he fits back into the mix against a Cardinals lineup that will force Pittsburgh to make plenty of those decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Pitching Prospect Development Is Taking An Unusual Turn In Bradenton
In Bradenton, the Pirates are trying to build more than arm strength and pitch shapes with their young pitchers. Matt Ford, the pitching coach for the Marauders, has built a weekly mental skills program around Harvey Dorfmans The Mental ABCs of Pitching, using a chapter-by-chapter discussion each Tuesday to help his staff work through confidence, focus and the day-to-day grind of development.
The setup is unusual in a game that usually treats mental training as an afterthought, but it fits the challenge of molding prospects into big-league-ready pitchers. Players take part in presentations, a mental coach is involved, and the materials are offered in both English and Spanish so Latin players can fully participate, giving the Pirates another layer of support as they try to sharpen the mind along with the mechanics. [Read more 🡒]