The Pittsburgh Pirates have been hit with another injury right before the All star break. Catcher Endy Rodriguez is being put on the 10 day Injured list with a left glute strain.
The 26 year old is having a breakout season so far for the Bucs. He has been performing at a high level since he was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 12. In 35 games, Rodríguez is slashing .260/.388/.470 batting line with six doubles, five home runs, 16 RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.
Rodriguez is joining Konnor
Griffin, Oneil Cruz, and first baseman Spencer Horwitz on the already crowded IL.
To take his place on the active roster, the Pirates will recall catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores Jr. from Indianapolis. Flores appeared in two games for Pittsburgh when he was briefly up last month. He slugged his first-career home run as part of a two-hit performance against the Dodgers on June 11.
In 65 games at Triple-A this season, the 25-year-old has batted .228/.362/.342 with 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 38 RBIs. Flores has had good production and he is someone that can help out and bring some power before the break. Henry Davis is expected to be the primary catcher while Rodriguez is on the IL.
There is no word yet on how severe the injury is for Rodriguez. There is a possibility that the Pirates are using this as a way to give the catcher some more rest with the break right around the corner.
Another tough blow is watching former Pirate Joey Bart hit the go-ahead, two-run home run in the eighth inning in Wednesday night’s 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Pittsburgh traded Bart to Atlanta in exchange for relief pitcher Hunter Stratton.
