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Endy Rodriguez Has Season-Ending Hip Surgery
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/first baseman Endy Rodriguez (hip) had season-ending surgery to fix the labrum in his left hip on Wednesday, the team announced. Rodriguez is expected to resume baseball activities within seven to nine months, which will likely delay his start to next season. The 26-year-old switch-hitting Dominican backstop will finish his third year in the majors with a .267/.373/.467 slash line, an .840 OPS, a career-high seven home runs, 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 45 games across 159 plate appearances. In three total seasons with the Pirates, Rodriguez has only played in 120 games while hitting .231 (86-for-373) with 10 homers, 35 RBI, 52 runs, and six steals. His 2024 season ended prematurely, too, after having right-elbow surgery last June. Until Rodriguez can stay healthy and prove himself over a full season, he will be tough to get behind, even in two-catcher fantasy leagues. The Pirates will roll with Henry Davis and Rafael Flores Jr. behind the plate the rest of the way in 2026.
Source: Jason Mackey
Source: Jason Mackey
Rafael Flores Jr. Emerging as a Priority Waiver-Wire Target
Across 73 plate appearances since being promoted from Triple-A earlier this year, Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores Jr. is hitting .266/.356/.594 with six home runs, 14 RBI, and 10 runs scored. The 25-year-old has struggled with swing-and-miss, striking out in 30.1% of his plate appearances. However, his underlying batted-ball metrics suggest elite power upside, as he's logged a 19.0% barrel rate and a 45.2% hard-hit rate. Flores Jr. has also demonstrated an ability to get on base that provides him with a high floor at the plate. He's posted a 12.3% walk rate in the big leagues and recorded a 16.7% walk rate across 276 plate appearances at Triple-A before getting promoted. Flores Jr. is not known as a plus defender behind the plate, which held down his prospect stock during his time in the minors. Still, Pittsburgh has been willing to try him out at first base, which gives him a higher playing time ceiling than most catchers. In leagues where he's not already rostered, Flores Jr. has clear waiver wire appeal.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Rookie Catcher Rafael Flores Jr. Breaks Out With Two Homers, Six RBI
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores Jr. had a game to remember in the team's 13-1 beatdown of the hosting Miami Marlins on Thursday. Flores, batting out of the nine-hole for Pittsburgh, went 2-for-5 at the plate with two three-run home runs and two strikeouts. It was just Flores' 20th game in the big leagues after debuting in 2025 in Pittsburgh by playing seven games. The 25-year-old right-handed-hitting backstop came into Thursday's contest in Miami with a .200 average (5-for-25) with a homer, two RBI, six walks, and seven strikeouts in 12 games with the Bucs in 2026. Flores came into the game with just one hit in his last 15 at-bats in his previous eight games, and although his performance on Thursday was a big one, it's unlikely to boost his playing time dramatically as the primary backup to Henry Davis with Endy Rodriguez (hip) currently on the 10-day injured list. Per MLB Pipeline, Flores is the Pirates' No. 21-ranked prospect.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Pirates Call Up Prospect Rafael Flores Jr., a Worth Waiver-Wire Target?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up catcher/first base prospect Rafael Flores Jr. from Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday to take the roster spot of catcher Endy Rodriguez (glute), who is going on the 10-day injured list with a left-glute strain, manager Don Kelly told Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Flores, 25, made his big-league debut last year and played in only seven games. He also was up with the Pirates' big-league squad earlier this year, but he appeared in just two games. In 22 total plate appearances in the majors, Flores has gone 5-for-18 with a homer, two RBI, two runs, four walks, and seven strikeouts. The former undrafted free agent out of Rio Hondo College will most likely just serve as catching depth behind Henry Davis to close out the first season this week, so fantasy managers in most leagues can ignore him off the waiver wire for now. In 65 games and 276 plate appearances at Indy this year, Flores has hit just .228/.362/.342 with a .704 OPS, four homers, 38 RBI, and 33 runs scored.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Colin Beazley
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Colin Beazley
Braves Acquire Joey Bart From Pirates
The Atlanta Braves acquired catcher Joey Bart (foot) from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night in exchange for right-hander Hunter Stratton, according to the team. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Braves designated catcher Sandy Leon for assignment. Bart has been on the injured list for over a month with a foot infection, but he is currently on a minor-league rehab assignment and looks ready to make his debut with Atlanta sooner rather than later. Drake Baldwin is the unquestioned starter for the Braves behind the dish, but Bart figures to serve as the team's backup with Sean Murphy (finger) still recovering from a broken finger that is expected to keep him out into the second half of the 2026 season. The move doesn't really make the 29-year-old Bart anymore attractive in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. Bart hit a career-high 13 home runs and drove in 45 runs in 80 games in his first year with the Pirates in 2024 after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants, but he had just four homers and 30 RBI in 93 games last year. Before going on the IL with his foot injury this year, he was hitting .259/.290/.379 with two homers, six RBI, two walks, and 21 K's in 21 games played.
Source: Atlanta Braves
Source: Atlanta Braves
Pirates Adding Catching Prospect Rafael Flores Jr. to Taxi Squad
The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed catcher/first base prospect Rafael Flores Jr. on their taxi squad on Tuesday, according to Pirates reporter Alex Stumpf. Flores, 25, made his major-league debut in 2025 with the Bucs, but he only appeared in seven games and went 3-for-15 with two doubles, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He could be on the verge of a return to the big leagues despite hitting just .207 (39-for-188) with four home runs, 27 RBI, 21 runs scored, 29 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 53 games and 219 plate appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis this year. Per MLB Pipeline, the 6-foot-3, 232-pounder is the Pirates' eighth-ranked prospect. Flores has some intriguing power potential, especially with eligibility as a catcher, but he also swings and misses quite often, and he really struggled back in spring training at the plate. He's a work in progress behind the dish, but he has the potential to stick at the position long term, despite his size. If he rejoins the Pirates in the near future, he's likely to operate in a bench role.
Source: Alex Stumpf
Source: Alex Stumpf
