Pirates Will Need to Rely on Three Important Players Returning From Injury in ’25

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to get better coming off a last place finish in 2024. Period.

Yes, some of that will come from offseason additions. So far this winter, the Pirates have added first baseman Spencer Horwitz, left-hander Caleb Ferguson and they re-signed designated Andrew McCutchen. More additions are coming, too.

But in order for the Pirates to make a substantial jump this year, internal improvements will also be needed. While Pittsburgh will be counting on guys to bounce back or break out to help improve upon their 76-86 showing, players returning from the injured list will also be important.

The Pirates have three players who missed all of 2024 but will return at different points throughout the 2025 season. All three phases of the game will be impacted by their respective returns.

Endy Rodríguez

Starting with the offense, the Pirates will be getting back Rodríguez, who underwent Tommy John surgery last offseason.

Rodríguez made his MLB debut in 2023 and totaled 57 games on the season. In his first year in the Major Leagues, Rodríguez hit .220 with a .612 OPS, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs and 13 RBIs.

Defensively, the backstop was responsible for three defensive runs saved and threw out 30% of attempted base stealers.

Despite the underwhelming results at the plate, Rodríguez is a guy who comes with pedigree and offers plenty of upside with the bat in his hands. In his minor-league career, the 24-year-old carries a .295/.383/.506 batting line across six seasons.

Entering the 2023 season, Rodríguez was ranked as the 23rd-best prospect by Baseball America and No. 55 by MLB Pipeline. He was selected to represent the Pirates at the Futures Game later that season.

But how much playing time will Rodríguez see? Joey Bart is the presumptive favorite to be the Pirates’ starting catcher after impressing following an early-season trade to Pittsburgh. There will be competition to settle who will be Bart’s backup with Rodríguez, Henry Davis and Jason Delay also on the 40-man roster.

Will the Pirates give Rodríguez time at other positions? It’s possible. During his professional career, he’s seen time at first base, second base and the corner outfield spots in addition to catcher.

Regardless of where he plays or how much, it’s important for the Pirates to get back a promising young player.

Johan Oviedo

Like Rodríguez, Oviedo underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery last offseason.

It was an unfortunate setback for Oviedo, who showed promise during his first full-season in the big leagues in 2023. The big right-hander totaled a career-high 32 starts and 177.2 innings and went 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA.

He’s made 39 starts with the Pirates since coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals in a deadline deal in 2022 and owns a respectable 4.15 ERA in the black and gold.

Oviedo’s reentry into the starting rotation will be important for the Pirates, both in terms depth and need. The Pirates traded fellow right-hander Luis Ortiz the the Cleveland Guardians for Horwitz and now have a void in the back of the starting rotation.

While a pitching prospect such as Bubba Chandler could follow in Jared Jones’ footsteps and crack the club’s Opening Day roster, he might need more seasoning at Triple-A.

Dauri Moreta

Though he won’t be ready for Opening Day, the Pirates’ bullpen will receive a welcomed boost once Moreta returns following Tommy John surgery last spring.

The right-hander pitched well in his first season with the Pirates in 2023. He finished the year with a solid 3.72 ERA and an even-better 2.93 FIP. Moreta finished the season with 76 strikeouts in 58 innings and finished off 11 games.

Moreta’s absence last season was felt. The Pirates’ bullpen fell well short of expectations and finished with the fourth-worst ERA in baseball.

Once he returns to the mound, Moreta will give manager Derek Shelton a potential high-leverage guy who could be used late in games.

The initial timetable projects Moreta to return to the Pirates as early as late May but could end up going deeper into the summer.