To see Endy Rodriguez around his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates in the clubhouse, there is little indication that he’s recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery and expected to miss the season.

Rodriguez has retained his ebullient personality in spring training, wearing a perpetual smile while conversing in the clubhouse with his teammates in a pair of highlighter-orange sneakers that make him stand out in a crowd.

But the 23-year-old catcher, a former top-100 prospect who made his major-league debut last July, privately is dealing with the downside of a lost season. It was especially difficult when the Pirates began Grapefruit League play at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., when he could only watch and wish he were healthy.

“The first game here, I cried a little bit,” Rodriguez told TribLive. “That was hard. I just missed it. It’s what we love. When you can’t do that, it’s hard.”

Rodriguez injured his right elbow Nov. 13 while playing winter ball for Estellas Orientales in his native Dominican Republic. The injury occurred not from throwing out three runners but during an at-bat, when he felt a twinge but continued playing through the discomfort.

“I swing the bat and felt something here,” Rodriguez said, pointing to his inner right forearm. “So I went to the doctor for an MRI. That was when we started to worry. That was weird, you know? The doctor thought it was from a long time ago.”

Rodriguez called Pirates coach Stephen Morales, who was in the Dominican at the time, to share the bad news.

“He was like, ‘Are you joking with me?’ ” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez was dead serious. On Dec. 12, he underwent reconstruction on his ulnar collateral ligament, better known as Tommy John surgery, and right flexor tendon that left an S-shaped scar on his forearm. The Pirates have said Rodriguez is expected to miss the entire season.

On Grapefruit League media day last month, general manager Ben Cherington called it a “tough blow for him, a tough blow for us.” Rodriguez is trying not to dwell on that description.

“I don’t say ‘tough,’ ” Rodriguez said. “It’s part of the game, so it’s something I can’t control. It’s something that could happen to everybody. The tough thing was when I heard the news I couldn’t play this year. That was hard for me.”

His absence has made catcher one of the key position battles of spring training. The Pirates added Ali Sanchez in early December, then signed two-time All-Star Yasmani Grandal to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with performance bonuses. With Grandal guaranteed one spot on the Opening Day roster, there is a competition between backup Jason Delay and 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis, who played primarily in right field last season.

Rodriguez was the organization’s 2022 minor-league player of the year after slashing .323/.407/.590 with 39 doubles, 25 home runs and 95 RBIs across three levels. The Pirates made him the starter upon his promotion to the majors July 17, and manager Derek Shelton had expressed excitement late last September about Rodriguez “taking charge” behind the plate by using his positive personality to uplift pitchers during mound visits and above-average arm to produce a 30% caught-stealing rate.

“The truth is, in the second week in October, as we thought about our team, we certainly envisioned Endy playing a really important role,” Cherington said in December. “We were setting up for a good offseason. He’s such a passionate young player. He loves the game so much. He truly loves to play the game, and he loves to catch. It was a blow on two levels, for our team, certainly, but for Endy, personally. Really feel for the kid.”

Losing a full season is a setback for the switch-hitting Rodriguez, who batted only .220/.284/.328 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 57 games last summer. He is working in the weight room, adding 12 pounds to his 6-foot frame, and trying to learn as much as he can from Grandal even though his rehabilitation often coincides with the Pirates’ practice schedules.

Rodriguez credits his girlfriend, Miralba Burgos — a psychology major — for talking him through his lowest moments and helping him find a focus on getting healthy this summer.

“Obviously, it hit me in the face,” Rodriguez said. “I try not to think about that. I know this was my starting year. I tried to stop thinking about that and started to say, ‘OK, this year is about working hard. I’ve got to get strong mentally and physically for 2025.’ ”

The Pirates knew there was risk in Rodriguez playing winter ball but didn’t want to prevent him because of his passion for the game. Now, they are hoping that his recovery comes with a reward.

“So, now we’ve just got to pick him up,” Cherington said. “We’ve got to support him and help him get through this rehab. I’m confident he will. He works hard. He’s going to recover well from this. He’s going to march forward to a really good career. He’s going to help the Pirates win a lot of games. We’re just going to have to make up for it in 2024. That’s the bottom line.”

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