Carmen Mlodzinski says the quiet part out loud about Pirates’ catching situation

For years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have talked about Endy Rodriguez like he was part of the future. On Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, Carmen Mlodzinski finally reminded the Pirates that they can’t keep treating him like an afterthought.

“I don't want to say he got swept under the rug a little bit,” Mlodzinski said, “but he was, in a sense, a superstar coming up.”

That’s not just a throwaway compliment from a teammate. That’s an acknowledgment of what’s happened here over the last two years.

Rodriguez was once viewed as one of the most exciting young players in the organization. A switch-hitting catcher with athleticism, bat-to-ball skills and defensive versatility, he looked like the type of player the Pirates could build around. Then came the injuries. Then came the lost development time. Then came Joey Bart’s breakout second half last year, which led to the Pirates suddenly acting like Rodriguez was expendable depth instead of a foundational piece.

The problem is the Pirates’ catching situation hasn’t remotely justified pushing Rodriguez to the background. Entering Thursday, Pirates catchers had combined for a brutal .196/.277/.308 slash line with a .584 OPS in 43 games. Henry Davis still looks overmatched offensively far too often, and while Bart had a strong stretch late last season, the overall production simply hasn’t been good enough for a lineup that already struggles to score consistently.

That’s why it felt like there was so much riding on Rodriguez’s return to the big leagues on Thursday.

No, one game doesn’t magically solve the Pirates’ offensive issues. Rodriguez entered the day hitting just .221 with a .627 OPS at Triple-A Indianapolis. But he's trying to rediscover himself after essentially losing an entire year of development time. More importantly, the underlying traits that made him such a coveted prospect still exist — and on Thursday, they showed up immediately.

Rodriguez doubled to the warning track in his first at-bat, later lined a two-run single and added a walk in a 2-for-3 performance that looked noticeably more mature than the stat line he carried into the game.

Pirates can't afford to keep overlooking Endy Rodriguez if he can stay healthy

Most importantly, the Pirates looked different with a catcher capable of lengthening the lineup instead of functioning as an offensive dead spot. That’s the bigger conversation here.

The Pirates cannot afford to let pedigree dictate playing time at catcher anymore. Henry Davis being a former No. 1 overall pick doesn’t matter if the production isn’t there. Joey Bart having a nice story last season doesn’t matter if the offense regresses back to replacement-level production.

If Rodriguez gives them the best chance to improve the lineup, he needs to play. Period.

And honestly, Mlodzinski’s comments felt important because they reflected something players inside that clubhouse likely already understand: Endy Rodriguez is too talented to keep getting buried beneath circumstance, injuries or organizational indecision.

The Pirates have spent years searching for offense. They might already have one of their better answers sitting right in front of them.

Now they just have to stop overlooking him.

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