Rise of Endy Rodríguez: Pirates’ top catchers for MLB debut, according to report – CBS Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates promote catching contender Endy Rodríguez to the majors. according to DK Pittsburgh Sports’ Alex Stumpf. Rodríguez and infielder Liover Peguero will join the Pirates ahead of their series against the Cleveland Guardians. The news comes a day after the Pirates announced right-hander Quinn Priester will be in the starting XI for Monday’s series opener. Rodríguez will make his debut in the big league, likePriest.

Rodríguez, 23, has spent the season in Triple-A, hitting .268/.356/.415 with six homers, 38 RBI and four stolen bases on as many tries. CBS Sports ranked him as the second best candidate in the system earlier this spring. We wrote the following at the time:

The Pirates brought Rodriguez from the Mets as part of the January 2021 three-team swap that sent Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Joey Lucchesi to New York. Since then, he has become one of the most prolific and promising hitters in the Pittsburgh system, posting an .892 OPS in 2021 and a .996 OPS in 2022 at multiple levels, including a brief stint at triple-A. At the same time, he also shows a penchant for walking and avoiding strikeouts. In other words: Rodriguez can score. Where will he land positionally? That is still to be clarified. He’s improved behind the plate, but the Pirates have played him everywhere and there’s an argument that they should put him outfield and let him score, largely given his offensive prowess and the presence of fellow catcher Henry Davis. Whatever they do, keep an eye on Rodriguez.

It remains to be seen how the Pirates get Rodríguez into their catch game situation. So far, Austin Hedges and Jason Delay have split duties, with Hedges easily holding his own as one of the worst hitters in the majors. In theory, the Pirates have every reason to nod to Rodríguez most days.

The new signings of Rodríguez, Priester and Peguero continue a young youth movement in Pittsburgh. Since early June, the Pirates have also nominated former first-round picks Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and Carmen Mlodzinski.

With an 8-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, the Pirates are now up 41-52 this season.