Rodríguez makes Opening Day roster as backup catcher

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- After missing almost all of 2024 due to right elbow surgery, Endy Rodríguez has won the Pirates' backup catcher job, earned a spot on his first Opening Day roster and should factor into the team’s first-base situation early this year.

The Pirates announced five roster moves Saturday night that clear up some of the questions surrounding the club’s position-player pool ahead of Opening Day. Outfielder Joshua Palacios was designated for assignment, while catcher Henry Davis and infielder-outfielders Nick Yorke and Billy Cook were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Additionally, the team selected the contract of right-hander Hunter Stratton.

The second catcher job was one of the most contested roster battles this Spring Training, with Rodríguez and Davis being the two front runners to pair with Joey Bart. While Davis had a solid showing, hitting .250 with a .472 slugging percentage and a pair of homers in 38 trips to the plate. Rodríguez was one of the team’s best hitters this spring, slashing .321/.486/.571 in his 37 plate appearances.

Rodríguez’s role should expand beyond just being a backup catcher to Bart. There are reps to be had at first base while Spencer Horwitz continues to rehab from his right wrist surgery last month. Initially, the Pirates shot down the idea of Rodríguez filling in at first base, wanting him to focus on catcher in his first year back from elbow surgery.

The plan may not have necessarily changed, but the club always knew it had first base as a backup option for him. Once he earned a spot on the Opening Day roster as a catcher, first base became an option for him as well.

“Organizationally, and to Endy, it was important for him to know that we view him as a catcher,” manager Derek Shelton said. “Now we have a situation, with the fact [of] Horwitz being out, we have some at-bats [at first base]. To say that he's going to full-time play first base, I think no. I think the thought process throughout the whole thing was that we want him to focus on catching. We want him to view himself as a catcher, because that's how we view him now and long term. The fact that with where our roster is at, his ability to play that position and the quality of what his at-bats have been, it came to a point where we were like, 'All right, now we need to explore where that option is.'

“Honestly, I think we had to make sure he was going to be the decision for the second catcher, that he was going to be the guy. We didn't want to short-change that decision. If we push him somewhere else, say, 'Hey, you're going to do this first,' and then decide that it's not him, I don't think it would've been fair to him.”

First base is still in flux as camp comes to a close Monday. Jared Triolo, the reigning Gold Glove winner for utilitymen, has played the position in the past, and utility infielder Adam Frazier could also fill-in there. DJ Stewart has taken plenty of reps at first base this spring, but he is a non-roster invite and would need to be added to the 40-man roster to make the Opening Day team.

Rodríguez played 57 games with the Pirates in 2023, but he was limited to just a handful of rehab games last year following elbow surgery after taking a bad swing in winter ball. He found his swing and grew more comfortable at the plate as he faced live pitching again this spring, and he has stated multiple times that he’s felt “100 percent” in camp.

Yorke and Cook were two young contenders in the first-base mix as well. Cook drew eight walks this spring in 33 plate appearances but hit just .160 with nine strikeouts. Yorke hit the ball hard in camp (averaging a 95.4 mph exit velocity), but it didn’t translate into results, as he hit .206 with 10 strikeouts.

This marks the third straight year Stratton has pitched his way onto the Pirates’ roster. He ruptured the patellar tendon in his left knee last August sliding into the limestone behind home plate at PNC Park, but he rehabbed well and made his spring debut Saturday, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

The Pirates’ roster is currently full at 40 players, and they will have to make more roster decisions before Opening Day Thursday in Miami.