Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Rodriguez (elbow) will report to Double-A Altoona on Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Rodriguez has progressed well in his rehab from Tommy John surgery in December, and he'll be able to see game action in the minors after previously being fully ruled out for 2024. The 24-year-old is expected to see most of his playing time at first base and designated hitter, but he'll also see some time behind the plate. Rodriguez still isn't expected to see action with the Pirates before the end of the campaign, but he's setting up to enter the offseason in a strong position heading into 2025.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Making progress in recovery
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Rodriguez (elbow) will begin playing catch soon, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Rodriguez has been rehabbing at the team's facility in Florida and has already been cleared to swing from the left side of the plate. His next steps will be resuming throwing and also swinging from the right side -- with the latter step likely not occurring until late June or early July.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Moved to 60-day IL
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The Pirates placed Rodriguez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
The transaction is a procedural move to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for catcher Yasmani Grandal, whom the Pirates signed to a one-year contract. Grandal is projected to slot in as the primary backup to top catcher Henry Davis while Rodriguez is set to miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing surgery in December to repair the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Out all of '24
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Rodriguez underwent surgery to repair the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow Tuesday.
Rodriguez injured himself on a swing while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic on Nov. 13. He's expected to resume baseball activity within 10-12 months, ruling him out for all of next season. With Rodriguez out, Henry Davis will presumably take on a larger share of starts behind the plate, and Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez will be in the running for the backup catcher spot.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: On bench versus lefty
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Rodriguez is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Cubs.
Jason Delay will start behind the plate and bat ninth as the Pirates take on ace left-hander Justin Steele. The switch-hitting Rodriguez has gone 7-for-47 (.149) with zero extra-base hits this year against southpaws.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Receives Sunday off
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Rodriguez is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Rodriguez started the first two games of the series versus New York, and he'll take a seat for the finale after going 1-for-5 with an RBI and two walks. Jason Delay will step in behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Absent from lineup
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Rodriguez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals.
Rodriguez started each of the previous three games behind the plate, so he'll be off for Thursday's afternoon contest. Jason Delay will do the catching for Mitch Keller.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Sitting out Wednesday
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Rodriguez is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Brewers, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
It's an afternoon game following Tuesday night's loss to the Brew Crew, so Rodriguez will get a breather. Jason Delay will do the catching for opener Colin Selby.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Hits bench Sunday
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Rodriguez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
He'll get a breather in the series finale after he started at either catcher or designated hitter in each of the past five games while going 4-for-20 with a double, a walk and four runs. Jason Delay will step in for Rodriguez behind the dish Sunday.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Absent from lineup
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Rodriguez is not in the lineup for Friday's tilt versus the Cubs, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
The Pirates have now gone with Jason Delay at catcher for two of the last three games, although Rodriguez did appear as a pinch-hitter in the first of those contests he didn't start. Rodriguez also caught all 10 frames of Thursday's extra-innings loss to the Cubs, but he'll begin this one on the bench.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Homers as part of three-hit day
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Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Brewers.
Rodriguez tallied his second multi-hit effort and his first three-hit game since he was called up in mid-July. The 23-year-old has gotten off to a slow start in his first taste at the major-league level, as he's now slashing .231/.286/.462 with two homers, seven RBI, eight runs and a 4:20 BB:K in 56 plate appearances. Rodriguez should get all the playing time he can handle down the stretch, with his only competition behind the dish being Jason Delay, who has made two starts since being called up Aug. 1.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Gets rest day
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Rodriguez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Rodriguez is getting a breather for the matinee after he caught all nine innings of Tuesday's 4-1 win while going 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run. Jason Delay will get a turn behind the dish while Rodriguez rests up.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Smacks first big-league homer
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Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Angels.
Rodriguez's first big-league homer came in the sixth inning to close out the scoring. After opening his Pirates career 0-for-7, he's hit safely in each of his last three games. The catcher has also struck out nine times in 17 plate appearances so far, so he still has some adjusting to do. Rodriguez is expected to learn on the job with a majority of the playing time behind the plate, while veteran Austin Hedges serves as his backup.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Day off Wednesday
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Rodriguez is not in the starting lineup against the Guardians on Wednesday.
Rodriguez will get a day off after he went 0-for-7 with six strikeouts over his first two major-league contests following his promotion Monday. Austin Hedges will start behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale with Cleveland.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Call-up imminent
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Rodriguez will be called up by the Pirates on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Rodriguez had a brief stint at Triple-A Indianapolis last year and has spent the start of the 2023 campaign with the Triple-A club. Over 67 games this year, he's slashed .268/.356/.419 with six homers, 54 runs, 38 RBI and four stolen bases. The 23-year-old has had four multi-hit performances over his past five appearances and will now be rewarded with his first big-league call-up. Henry Davis has seen plenty of time in right field since being called up, so Rodriguez should have ample opportunities to carve out playing time behind the dish.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Active at Triple-A
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Rodriguez (forearm) was activated from the minor-league injured list with Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
The 22-year-old switch hitter had a .263/.333/.456 slash line with three home runs and an 8:6 K:BB in 14 games before suffering a forearm strain. In addition to 12 starts behind the dish, Rodriguez made one start at first base and one start at designated hitter. He could get a call-up sometime in the coming weeks if he performs well.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Diagnosed with forearm strain
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Rodriguez is dealing with a strained right forearm, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Rodriguez hit the minor-league injured list Friday with an arm injury, but his exact diagnosis was not yet available. He'll be evaluated Monday in Pittsburgh, at which point a clearer timeline for his recovery should emerge.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Placed on minor-league IL
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Rodriguez (forearm) was placed on the 7-day injured list Friday at Triple-A Indianapolis, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
Rodriguez connected for his third home run of the season Thursday against Memphis, but he later departed that game after injuring his right arm on a throw. There's no exact diagnosis or return date yet for the highly touted 22-year-old catcher. He's scheduled to visit with the Pirates' medical staff this weekend.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Will be in major-league camp
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Rodriguez will be on the major-league side of Pirates' camp this spring, per Justice delos Santos of MLB.com.
One of the top position-player prospects in the sport, Rodriguez slashed .323/.407/.590 with 25 home runs and 95 RBI in 125 games last season between High-A Greensboro, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. The 22-year-old catcher seems doubtful to actually make the Opening Day roster in Pittsburgh, but he is certainly on the fast track to making his MLB debut.
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Pirates' Endy Rodriguez: Moves to 40-man roster
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Rodriguez was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster Tuesday.
Rodriguez is one of the league's best catching prospects and finished 2022 at the Triple-A level despite beginning the season at High-A. He played in only six games at the highest level of the minors, but his .997 OPS on the season could push him toward making his MLB debut next year.
