North Shore Nine

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Monday evening that catcher Endy Rodriguez underwent reconstructive surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament as well as a repair of his flexor tendon in his right elbow. They estimate that he will be able to return to baseball activities in ten to twelve months.

The 2023 season saw the Pirates lose Oneil Cruz, one of their top prospects, for the entire season after a significant ankle injury in the opening weeks of the season. That would’ve been Cruz’s first full season in the majors. Now news comes that another of the team’s top prospects will miss the 2024 season that would’ve been his first full MLB season. Rodriguez becomes the fourth Pirates player to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2023. Joining J.T. Brubaker, Mike Burrows, and Johan Oviedo.

Rodríguez swung and injured himself in that game, then was replaced later. He played again on Nov. 14, but he was once again removed from action during play. On Nov. 23, Estrellas Orientales announced officially that Rodríguez would not continue playing for them at the request of the Pirates.

Rodríguez was one of two premier catching prospects to arrive in Pittsburgh in 2023 alongside Henry Davis. However, Rodríguez was more advanced on the defensive side of the ball, so once Austin Hedges was traded at the Deadline, Rodríguez took the majority of the reps at catcher while Davis played right field.

When the Pirates signed Ali Sánchez to a Major League deal on Dec. 1, it seemed to create a bit of a logjam given that the club had Rodríguez and Jason Delay on the roster. Then, on Dec. 4, things became even murkier when general manager Ben Cherington said that Davis would come into Spring Training as a catcher. But in retrospect, given what the club knew about the extent of Rodríguez’s injury, it was never going to be a four-catcher situation.

They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. If this is true, then Pirates fans are becoming unbelievably strong this off-season. Losing a top prospect for an entire year, especially during a year in which your window for competing was supposed to finally be opening, is never a good thing. This hurts. It does give Henry Davis an opportunity to prove himself. One that he may not have gotten otherwise. Maybe if he’s able to make the best of that opportunity, this won’t be a complete loss.

We’ll close things out with DiNardo, Jim, Neil, and Doug sitting down and laying out their thoughts on the situation right after the news was announced Monday evening. There is a touch bit of Rowdy Tellez and Marco Gonzalez talk in here, but it’s mostly Endy. You know how those guys are when it comes to staying on topic.