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The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced that Endy Rodriguez will miss the 2024 season after the catcher underwent reconstructive surgery on his UCL and a flexor tendon repair on Tuesday. Rodriguez was injured on Nov. 13 while playing in a Winter Ball game in the Dominican Republic.
Per the Pirates' post on X, Rodriguez "injured himself during an at-bat while swinging."
"He is expected to return to baseball activity in 10 to 12 months. As a result, he will miss the entire 2024 season," the Pirates announced.
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After the news was made public, the Pirates' fanbase online shared its outrage and dissatisfaction toward the injury and how it occurred.
"Ban Winter Ball," one fan wrote.
Endy Rodrguez's anticipated length of absence, or whether it will impact his availability for Spring Training, is unknown. The team's young and valuable cog for the 2024 season and beyond may miss extended time next year.
Endy Rodriguez: A rising star
Rodriguez is a promising young catcher that the Pirates called up in July 2023. At the time, the Pirates ranked the 23-year-old as their third-best prospect. As part of a three-team trade that sent former Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove to the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh acquired Rodriguez from the New York Mets in 2021.
He had 41 hits, 13 RBIs and three home runs in 57 games with Pittsburgh in the previous season. His slash line read.220/.284/.328. On July 22, Endy Rodriguez launched his first career home run off the LA Angels.
With Jason Delay and Rodríguez already on the roster, the Pirates' decision to sign Ali Sánchez to a Major League contract on Dec. 1 appeared to put them in a bit of a bind.
The situation grew even more confusing when general manager Ben Cherington proclaimed on Dec. 4 that Henry Davis would be reporting to Spring Training as a catcher. However, in retrospect, it could not be a four-way catching situation with what they knew about the degree of the injury that affected Endy Rodriguez.
