Pittsburgh Pirates catcher and erstwhile top prospect Endy Rodríguez underwent reconstructive surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament -- that is, Tommy John surgery -- and flexor tendon Tuesday, the team announced. The Pirates added he is expected to return to baseball activity in 10-12 months and will thus miss the entire 2024 season.
Rodríguez suffered the injury taking a swing in winter ball on Nov. 13, the Pirates said. He appeared in only seven games in the Dominican Winter League before being shut down with the injury.
The 23-year-old Rodríguez made his MLB debut this past season, authoring a .220/.284/.328 batting line with three home runs in 57 games, including 52 at catcher. He took over as Pittsburgh's No. 1 catcher after being called up in mid July. Rodríguez entered 2023 as one of the 50 best prospects in baseball and was expected to be the team's starting catcher in 2024.
The Pirates originally acquired Rodríguez from the New York Mets as part of the three-team trade that sent Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres in Jan. 2021. Rodríguez was in rookie ball in 2019 and he spent the 2020 pandemic season at home. He broke out in 2021 and eventually grew into one of the game's best prospects, and a possible foundational player for Pittsburgh.
With Rodríguez sidelined, the Pirates could put 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis behind the plate. Davis was drafted as a catcher, though he caught only three big league innings this past season, instead spending most of his time in right field. The 24-year-old hit .213/.302/.351 with seven home runs in 62 games as a rookie.
Pittsburgh went 76-86 this past season, their best record since going 82-79 in 2018. Jason Delay and Ali Sánchez are the only two other catchers on the team's 40-man roster.
