Pittsburgh Pirates' Endy Rodriguez will miss the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery.
Even though there’s over a month left in the regular season, Endy Rodriguez's 2026 campaign has already come to an end.
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday that the 26-year-old catcher underwent season-ending surgery by Dr. Thomas Byrd to repair a hip injury.
The recovery time is seven to nine months, which obviously makes a return this calendar year out of the question. Rodriguez could even still miss the start of next season if Opening Day goes as planned for the start of next season (assuming there’s a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in place).
Unfortunately for Rodriguez, this season, and truly up to this point in his career, have been full of injuries. He’s played only 45 games in 2026 because of two separate trips to the injured list.
Rodriguez first landed on the injured list at the beginning of July with a left glute strain. After he recovered and returned to the field, Rodriguez was quickly placed back on the IL with left hip inflammation, which ultimately led to the procedure.
The catcher also underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow in 2023, which forced him to miss the entire 2024 season.
Jun 29, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Endy Rodríguez (13) watches his three run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesThe most disappointing piece to all of this news is that, when Rodriguez has been on the field, he’s looked like a budding star. In a small sample size this season, Rodriguez had a .840 OPS with seven home runs and an average exit velocity of 92.4 mph.
His defense behind the plate still was a work in progress, but the potential to be an athletic backstop is certainly there.
As for how this injury impacts the Pirates for the rest of the year, the team is slightly thin at catcher. Rafael Flores is swinging a hot bat, but isn’t the best defensive backstop. Pittsburgh’s other option is Henry Davis, who is the opposite of Flores: a solid defensive catcher, but doesn’t provide much in the batter’s box.
Knowing that Rodriguez might end up sidelined for a while is likely why the Pirates decided to pull off a post-deadline trade to acquire Christian Bethancourt from the New York Yankees. A veteran catcher in the organization could be key if either Flores or Davis are unavailable to play for any reason.
Rodriguez’s injury is disappointing for so many reasons. Now, Pittsburgh should just be hoping that nothing goes wrong in Rodriguez’s rehab, which could force him to miss even more time.
