Mark Madden: Time for the Pirates to up the ante with top prospects Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez

The Pirates swept bogey team St. Louis and then lost two of three to Oakland, perhaps the worst team in baseball history.

It’s maddening, but the Pirates have somehow hung around the top of the very generic National League Central despite their consistent inconsistency.

Shortstop Oneil Cruz won’t be back from his broken ankle till August. What can the Pirates do now to provide themselves a lift?

Trading for Chris Archer is a definite “don’t.”

The citizens and bloggers continue to clamor for the callup of one of the catching prospects, Henry Davis or Endy Rodriguez. Both are in Triple-A.

Davis, 23, has hit .285 with 10 home runs and an OPS of .976. (That’s Triple-A and Double-A combined.) Rodriguez, 23, has been in Triple-A all year. He’s hit .253 with four homers and an OPS of .748. Davis has done better but mostly at a lower level.

Davis (outfield) and Rodriguez (outfield, second base) can each play other positions, and would probably be asked to if summoned to Pittsburgh this year.

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The Pirates are 100% fine with veteran Austin Hedges handling the bulk of their catching even though he’s hitting .176 with an OPS of .457.

Hedges is good defensively. He threw out Esteury Ruiz, MLB’s leading base-stealer, in the ninth inning of Monday’s 5-4 win at PNC Park. Hedges’ peg saved a run and ultimately preserved the lone victory in that shambolic series vs. the A’s.

Hedges is also adept at handling the Pirates’ pitching staff, coaxing calmer and better out of the younger pitchers. (Rich Hill, 43, probably doesn’t need that.)

Putting Davis or Rodriguez behind the plate would add offense (maybe) but eliminate the good done by Hedges.

That “good,” however, is no excuse for Hedges hitting .176.

Pirates fans shouldn’t mythologize Davis and Rodriguez to the point where expectations become unreasonable. If they come up and struggle, will they get booed?

Don’t view them as players who can save this season. Chances are they can’t. If either does get summoned this year, it’s just as likely he’ll have a tough adjustment to baseball’s highest level as it is he’ll rip the cover off the ball.

Would it be worth a try?

Well, it’s better to promote players on their timetable, not the team’s. Are they ready? That’s the question that matters most.

But perhaps the Pirates should take a shot.

I don’t believe that top prospects can be damaged by a fruitless initial foray at the top level. Elite athletes are generally made of sterner stuff. There’s no risk beyond them failing temporarily. They might do poorly. So what?

There’s also a possibility they succeed but the team does worse. That somehow seems very likely with these Pirates.

Exacerbating the demand for Davis and Rodriguez to be promoted is the success Cincinnati’s top prospects are having in MLB.

Rookie shortstop Matt McLain is hitting .348 with a .922 OPS in 100 plate appearances. Freshly promoted rookie infielder Elly De La Cruz is 3 for 7 with a double, triple, home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. His OPS is a nifty 1.841.

De La Cruz has been walked twice, too. Teams seem to already be pitching around him.

De La Cruz’s home run nearly left Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, landing in the last row of the right-field stands.

Can Davis or Rodriguez contribute like that?

Let’s find out. It’s been a nutty season for the Pirates. Up the ante.