Pirates insider says don’t count on seeing Endy Rodriguez at first base anytime soon

It's been a long, long while since fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates have seen former top prospect Endy Rodriguez take the field in a big-league game. A major reconstructive surgery on his UCL and flexor tendon kept him out of action for the entirety of the 2024 campaign, but he's entered spring training this year back up to speed.

He didn't show much in his first 57-game showing in the big leagues, but Rodriguez's minor league track record is extensive. He recorded 39 doubles with 25 home runs, 95 RBI and a .996 OPS across 125 games back in 2022 that earned him his first look in the majors. The offensive talent is clearly there.

Now 24 years old, Rodriguez is coming back to the Pirates without a clear cut role on their big league roster. FanGraphs' RosterResource has him projected to make the club's Opening Day roster but only as the backup to Joey Bart, who's more than earned the starting catcher gig at this point.

One way to get everybody the playing time they deserve is to give Rodriguez reps over at first base. He's only played two innings there in the big leagues, but he's got 43 games and 330 innings at the position throughout his minor league career. Heck, he's even logged time at second base and left field before too in an effort to get his bat into the lineup any way the organization can.

According to Andrew Destin and Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, such a move for Rodriguez doesn't appear to be in the cards. If true, this is a major head-scratcher, to say the least.

Endy Rodriguez moving to first base for the Pirates appears unlikely

As relayed by Destin and Hiles, the Pirates' preference is to get him back up to speed at his primary position, catcher, before tasking him with another position. Destin also mentioned that Bart coming back to town and replicating his 2024 performance isn't a guarantee, so keeping Rodriguez up to speed behind the plate may ultimately wind up helping them if Bart can't tap back into some of that '24 magic.

Coming up through the San Francisco Giants' system, Bart was a first-round pick who at one point was projected to be the long-term replacement for Buster Posey, once the Giants icon hung it up. Obviously that didn't end up happening, but when you factor in his success coming up through the Giants' minor league system and the sky-high potential he showed as a prospect, it's not exactly a shock to see him doing well in the big leagues.

Assuming Bart comes out of the gate in similar fashion to how he performed last year, Rodriguez becomes nothing more than a high-end backup. The Pirates are currently projected to send DJ Stewart out to first base on a nightly basis as their primary option. Over the course of a six-year big league career, he's made exactly one appearance at the position.

In an offseason that's been littered with questionable decisions made by the Pirates' front office, the clear best route to go here is to keep Bart as the primary catcher, bring Henry Davis up as his backup, and give Rodriguez a longer leash at first base. This is the clear best option, at least from an offensive perspective, so let's cross our fingers that one move that appears obvious to everyone else will feel the same way for the decision-makers over in Pittsburgh.