Rafael Flores Jr. has gone from intriguing question mark to one of the Pirates’ most encouraging second-half stories, and the turnaround has shown up everywhere: at the plate, behind it and in the way the club now seems to trust him.
That’s a sharp shift for a player who came over in the David Bednar trade and arrived with a reputation as a bat-first Yankees farmhand who might not hold up defensively. Even earlier this season at Triple-A Indianapolis, the concerns were still there, with Flores hitting just four home runs and posting a .704 OPS in 65 games. Now, he’s putting together the kind of run that can change a player’s trajectory.
On Wednesday, Pirates manager Don Kelly said, “Flo is in a good spot right now,” after Flores launched his ninth homer in 40 MLB games in 2026, eight of them coming in 28 games since Aug. 13.
The production has been steady no matter where the Pirates have used him. Flores has hit .274 with an .858 OPS in those 40 games, adding four doubles, 20 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
He also took a career-high 10-game hitting streak into Thursday’s series finale with the Brewers, batting .421 (16-for-38) during that stretch. He didn’t walk in that span, but he struck out only eight times, a 21.1% rate that fits with the power he’s bringing.
“This year, I’ve gotten more reps and more time, so it’s definitely been a lot better,” Flores said. “Last year, I was here in September, but it was a small quantity. The more time I get up here, the better it’s gonna be for me and the whole team.
"I just want to help the team win.”
The biggest surprise may be how Flores has answered the defensive doubts. He began the season 0-for-12 throwing out basestealers, then worked with catching coach Jordan Comadena and changed his setup with runners on base, moving from having his left knee down to his right.
The adjustment has paid off. Since then, Flores has thrown out six of 21 basestealers, a 28.6% rate, including two on Tuesday against Milwaukee.
That improvement has helped him win over the Pirates’ pitching staff, too. Braxton Ashcraft was first to notice the difference, and Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones have since worked with Flores and praised how easy he makes things for them.
“He’s been awesome,” Jones said. “He knows how to call a game and takes control. I haven’t shaken him yet.”
Flores’ growth has also carried a personal weight. When the Pirates played at Dodger Stadium in August, he got the chance to play in front of his parents, Rafael Sr. and Silvia, for the first time. Rafael Sr. suffered a serious stroke four days after his son signed with the Yankees after going undrafted in July 2022.
“It’s very exciting because he’s worked so hard,” Silvia Flores said in Los Angeles, with her daughter, Rocio, translating. “We’re very, very proud of him.”
At the plate, Flores has also tightened up the parts of his game that used to get away from him. Listed conservatively at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, he has long levers, and earlier in his career that sometimes led to a long swing. Now he’s doing more with less, sticking to his approach and showing he can stay through the ball the other way.
That was on display Wednesday, when he turned a 1-1 sinker middle-away into a 407-foot drive to right-center at 107.6 mph. He’s also hit four homers this season that have traveled at least 422 feet, with his longest reaching 440.
Flores said the key has been confidence.
“Confidence is what drives me, honestly,” Flores said. “Obviously first getting a chance up here, it’s a little tough to be confident.
It’s a different game. Once you get used to it, once you get comfortable … I feel like everybody in here does a really good job of helping you get comfortable.
"That’s what I’ve been doing lately: just having fun and playing baseball.”
The Pirates have gotten exactly what they were hoping for, and maybe more: a catcher who is handling the job, giving them a real threat against lefties with a .908 OPS, and looking more and more like a serious option for the future. Kelly said Flores has made strides on both sides of the ball.
“He’s shown a lot of improvement -- offensively and defensively, with his receiving and throwing,” Kelly said. “Throwing might be the thing that stands out to me the most with how much better he’s gotten.
“Then his approach at the plate, you know he’s got power. But he’s going up there to hit and have good at-bats. He’s been having great at-bats.”
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