Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez ready to return to playing in games at Double-A Altoona

Missing an entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was challenging enough for Endy Rodriguez, but it made the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher appreciate how much baseball means to him.

“I think being out all year makes me love the game a little bit more,” Rodriguez said, “because I’ve been watching and miss the game.”

So Rodriguez was thrilled to spend the weekend at PNC Park with his teammates before heading to Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, where he will play in his first minor-league games this week. Rodriguez is expected to catch, as well as play first base and designated hitter, then join Triple-A Indianapolis the following week.

“More than hitting, I want to catch, first time in my life,” Rodriguez said. “I want to sit down there and see if my arm is really good right now.”

The process to returning was slow for Rodriguez. The 24-year-old switch hitter started by swinging from the left side of the plate before returning to the right side, which is how he was injured while playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic last November.

The Pirates are pleased with the progress Rodriguez made in the meantime, adding upper-body muscle to his 6-foot, 200-pound frame to better prepare for enduring a full season behind the plate.

“The challenge that we gave him was to get stronger and get bigger. If you’ve seen him, he looks really good,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “Just excited to watch him in game competition. His energy is different, and he needs to get back on the field.”

The Pirates’ minor league player of the year in 2022, Rodriguez made his major-league debut July 17, 2023, and batted .220/.284/.328 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 57 games. He spent most of the summer at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., easing back to playing in bridge league games.

On his weekly radio show Sunday, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Rodriguez “dominated his rehab” to the point that it was time “to get some at-bats against some upper-level pitching.” Shelton echoed that sentiment Monday, suggesting that dangling the carrot of playing in minor-league games can increase a player’s focus.

“He can go hit off the Trajekt (pitching machine) all day long — and that’s great, and you’re seeing pitches and you’re seeing different — but stepping on the field, stepping between the white lines, it’s a difference-maker,” Shelton said. “That’s why him working so hard to be able to get these reps in this year is vital for us going into next year.”

That’s especially true at catcher, where the Pirates return three other players with major-league experience next season in Joey Bart, Henry Davis and Jason Delay.

Although Shelton said the Pirates view him as a catcher primarily, his ability to play first base, second base and even the outfield can be beneficial to getting more at-bats.

“The ability to have versatility and play other positions, specifically first, I think is going to be extremely helpful — and it’ll be extremely helpful during his rehab, because he’s probably gonna be really sore after the first day he catches,” Shelton said. “We have to make sure, because of the at-bats, the fact that he’s able to play different positions is important for us. And then as we move forward, in ‘25, ‘26 — and not just specifically those years — but the ability to bounce around, whether it’s in-game or to keep his bat in the lineup will be important for us.”

Rodriguez remains open to playing wherever the Pirates need him, as long as it gets him on the field. Whether that extends beyond Altoona and Indianapolis and into the Arizona Fall League or winter ball, Rodriguez doesn’t know. His goal, for now, is to finish this season and start next year 100% healthy, regardless of his position.

“I’m a player,” Rodriguez said. “God gave me this versatility to play everywhere, and I’m going to use it. If I have to go to first, I’m going to first. I just want to play.”