Opinion
Perrotto: Endy Rodriguez out of Sight, Hardly out of Mind
The Pittsburgh Pirates will see a friendly face next weekend when they return from their current road trip.
Endy Rodriguez will join the team for a few days at PNC Park. The Pirates medical staff wants the opportunity to evaluate Rodriguez as he continues to rehab from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery performed last November.
It will also give the 24-year-old catcher a chance to reconnect with teammates and take a break from working out at the Pirate City complex in Bradenton, Fla.
Rodriguez is certain to get a good reception in the clubhouse. His outgoing personality makes him a favorite with his teammates.
With Rodriguez spending the summer in Bradenton, he has been out of sight and out of mind. However, when he comes to town, it will also remind the Pirates how much they could use Rodriguez.
Despite having a tepid major-league debut last season, Rodriguez almost certainly would have been the opening-day catcher. He hit just .220/.284/.328 with three home runs in 57 games and three defensive runs saved.
However, Rodriguez also entered spring training last year as the 23rd-best prospect in the game by Baseball America. He was the Most Valuable Player in the Low-A Florida State League in 2021 and the High-A South Atlantic League in 2022.
Rodriguez also showed enough flashes during his time in the big leagues last year that made it easy to think he could take a significant step forward this season. And the Pirates have shown nearly two-thirds into the season that they don’t have a better option at catcher.
The Pirates have had five different catchers start this season. Yasmani Grandal has a team-high 37 starts followed by Joey Bart (33), Henry Davis (26), Jason Delay (5) and Grant Koch (2).
The catchers’ cumulative OPS is .600, which ranks 26th among the 30 MLB teams. The five also have minus-7 DRS, which stands 23rd.
Bart has been the best of the bunch since being acquired from the San Francisco Giants early in the season. He is hitting .238/.331/.438 with six home runs in just 38 games.
Bart seems to have found a home in Pittsburgh after struggling during his time with the Giants, who selected him second overall in the 2018 amateur draft. Yet Pirates manager Derek Shelton has stubbornly stuck with Grandal as the primary catcher despite his .185/.213/.304 slash line in 45 games with three homers and poor defense.
Grandal provides the experience of playing 13 major-league seasons. However, that does not offset the lack of production.
Then there is Henry Davis, who is now at Triple-A Indianapolis after an abysmal 29-game stay with the Pirates in which he batted .153/.267/.235 with one home run. It is becoming clear that the Pirates erred when they selected Davis first overall in the 2021 draft.
The Pirates are extremely pleased with how Rodriguez’s rehab has progressed. He is recovering so well that he may be able to serve as the designated hitter in minor-league games in September.
Rodriguez seems certain to be completely healthy by next year’s spring training. The Pirates could sure use him right now, though.