The Pirates announced Thursday that breakout catcher Endy Rodriguez has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his left hip. Right-hander Isaac Mattson is up from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster. Pittsburgh also optioned lefty reliever Evan Sisk and recalled infielder Jack Brannigan from Triple-A Indianapolis.
The Bucs were already carrying three catchers — Rodriguez, Henry Davis and Rafael Flores — so there’s no need for them to summon another backstop from the minors. Davis and Flores will handle catching work in what the team surely hopes will be a minimal absence for the 26-year-old Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, a former top prospect, has put on an excellent show in his third season getting a look in the majors. It’s only 159 plate appearances, but he’s produced a hefty .267/.373/.467 batting line (132 wRC+) with seven homers, six doubles and six steals. Rodriguez has walked at an enormous 14.5% clip and struck out in just over one quarter of his trips to the plate. He’s drawn solid framing marks behind the plate but is only 5-for-35 in throwing out thieves on the bases and grades slightly below-average in terms of blocking balls in the dirt, per Statcast.
The Pittsburgh lineup in 2026 is miles better than in recent seasons, but they’ve run into some notable injuries over the past six weeks and can’t seem to get all of their best hitters in the lineup at the same time. Rodriguez joins shortstop Konnor Griffin, center fielder Oneil Cruz and outfielder/first baseman Ryan O’Hearn on the injured list. The Pirates recently welcomed Spencer Horwitz back from the IL, but he and Rodriguez only overlapped on the roster for 10 days prior to Rodriguez’s own IL stint.
Even with that group out of action, the Pirates are getting big production from stalwart Bryan Reynolds and his rookie outfielder counterpart Esmerlyn Valdez. Second baseman Brandon Lowe is on track for his second consecutive 30-homer season. Third baseman Nick Gonzales isn’t hitting for power and can’t be expected to sustain his .365 average on balls in play, but he’s making plenty of contact and slashing .304/.360/.400. Cruz, meanwhile, began a minor league rehab assignment last week and may not be far from returning. Griffin shouldn’t be terribly far behind; he’s swinging and participating in baseball activities but has yet to embark on a rehab stint.
