The Pirates must monitor this situation carefully and correctly.
Endy Rodriguez can’t catch a break, as the number of injuries he has faced – and their severity – continue to increase.
The Pittsburgh Pirates once-coveted prospect hasn’t been able to see the field much since the second half of the 2023 season, when he saw big league action for the first time. After season-ending Tommy John surgery before the spring of 2024 and a nasty finger injury that held him out for a month this year, Rodriguez’s right elbow is once again in trouble after exiting the first inning of the Pirates 5-4 win over the Phillies on June 6 with discomfort and being placed on the 10-Day IL.
In the middle of this past Friday’s 2-1 win against the Cubs, Rodriguez was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room on the 40-man roster for RHP Michael Darrell-Hicks, who was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. According to Manager Don Kelly, Rodriguez got a second opinion and will get a Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection this week and have four weeks of complete rest.
Well, where have we heard this before? If you’re not familiar, the Pirates held out hope that star RHP Jared Jones, who had elbow surgery recently after being injured this spring (not Tommy John), could avoid surgery and come back this season after getting a “second opinion.” This obviously didn’t end well, as the Pirates not only won’t have him this year, but won’t see him until later next season (or even possibly 2027) due to the delay of the surgery.
Now, Rodriguez’s situation is indeed somewhat different, as he is a catcher, not a pitcher (although catchers throw second most to pitchers), and just had finished an intense rehab from a serious surgery on the same elbow that is bothering him now. Naturally, Rodriguez or the organization does not want him to go through that again, especially back-to-back like this.
But if the Pirates wait too long and then decide for him to get Tommy John surgery (or a different kind of elbow surgery), his return for next season could be in jeopardy. Hopefully, they learn something from the Jared Jones situation, assuming the two conditions are closely similar.