Rodríguez '100 percent,' back in Bucs' fold after elbow surgery

BRADENTON, Fla. -- There are still times at night when Pirates catcher Endy Rodríguez wonders how it happened.

There was nothing wrong with the swing he took in that Dominican Winter League game in 2023. Dr. Neal ElAttrache confirmed that after Rodríguez underwent an MRI on his right elbow. The injury that required surgery was from a while ago.

That swing in the winter of 2023 was just the straw that broke the camel’s back and required Rodríguez to undergo elbow surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2024 season.

The first week after the surgery was the low point. Rodríguez sat with his fiancée and started talking about what he needed to do to get better and to get back on the field with his teammates. After months of grinding, he was able to play in 10 rehab games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis in September, before the 2024 season wrapped. Now, the 24-year-old is full-go at Spring Training to rejoin the group he affectionately calls “the boys.”

“I’m 100%,” Rodríguez said at his Pirate City locker. “Right now, I’m feeling, I think, in my best spot in a long time.”

In a way, Rodríguez is back in the swing of things like he hadn’t missed last season. His energy is infectious, as is his now braces-free smile. It’s why he was a natural fit to sport Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses Thursday to catch bullpens on the backfields of Pirate City. That gregarious personality is a perfect fit when watching fastballs fly in at speeds most of us could only imagine.

It was also fitting that Rodríguez caught Johan Oviedo on Thursday, considering the two friends are both coming back from elbow surgeries that sidelined them for all of 2024. On Aug. 28, 2023, that battery combined to throw a complete game in Kansas City. Rodríguez asked Oviedo if they were gonna throw a perfect game during that bullpen this time. Oviedo liked the idea, and it turned out to be a solid first outing of the spring.

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“Both of those guys, to see the energy they have, there's some good symbolism that he's throwing to him,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.

Like Oviedo, nothing is guaranteed for Rodríguez. While he didn’t hit much in his rookie campaign -- he batted .220 with a .612 OPS in 57 games -- his profile as a top prospect with a solid glove made him a leading contender for Pittsburgh’s catcher job for years to come. The injury has made that less clear. Henry Davis struggled in 2024, but he had Top 100 prospect billing too after being selected first overall in the 2021 Draft. Joey Bart has also emerged as a quality backstop after being acquired from the Giants last April, and he will be a part of the Bucs' 2025 plans.

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While there is a potential opening at first base in the short-term because Spencer Horwitz underwent wrist surgery last week and will miss most of Spring Training, the Pirates would rather keep Rodríguez at catcher than move him to his secondary position.

“He missed a full season, obviously [had] a significant rehab,” general manager Ben Cherington said. “We really believe in him as a catcher [and] believe he can be an everyday catcher in the future. Coming off the rehab, we want to give him a chance to settle in at that position. We know he can do other things, and down the road if circumstances suggest that we should revisit that, we can revisit it. But certainly early in Spring Training, I expect he will be focused on [catching]."

Rodríguez is willing to go where he’s needed, but his first love is behind the plate, and it’s probably where he could provide the most value as a player. He admitted last year that there were some jitters going back behind the plate when he was in his first rehab game, but after making his first throw to second base, he felt better. The same went for his rehab. The injury came on a right-handed swing, but he never considered giving up switch-hitting. That’s part of his game.

That’s where Rodríguez stands at the moment. He has a lot to prove, but he’s the same guy. He’s not looking to change, but rather prove why he was so highly regarded coming up through the Pirates’ system.

“This was just something that happened,” Rodríguez said. “I don’t have to change my swing. Now I’m healthy. I don’t have to think about it.”