Pirates make intriguing waiver claim after sending Endy Rodriguez to 60-day IL

Just as we feared, this elbow issue for Endy Rodriguez is very serious and he will now head to the 60-day injured list because of it. The Pittsburgh Pirates have not fully announced the severity of his condition, but being placed on this list clearly indicates that it's serious. With a rehab assignment too, the earliest Rodriguez could return would be in early August.

Once more details get reported, the Pirates will be able to discover if he will play again in 2025, but if his UCL ends up torn again, then he may have to get Tommy John surgery for a second time in less than two years.

Before heading to the injured list for a second time, Rodriguez had just recovered from a finger injury that kept him out of Pittsburgh for over a month. A few games later, he tweaked his elbow. Rodriguez couldn't seem to find a groove at the plate prior to this second stint on the IL as his wRC+ was down to 38 with a .496 OPS. Hopefully when he is fully healthy again that he can hit like he did in the minor leagues. The Pirates desperately need him to do so.

Endy Rodriguez lands on the 60-day injured list and they claim Michael Darrell-Hicks off waivers from the Angels.

Michael Darrell-Hicks will be added to the 40 man in place of Rodriguez after the Pirates claimed him from the Angels. The right handed pitcher was DFA'd a few days ago after a terrible start to his MLB career. In 7.2 innings, the 27 year old rookie posted a 9.39 ERA with a 5.16 FIP. He really didn't do well in Triple-A this season either, producing an 8.87 ERA with a 6.50 FIP.

Hopefully the Pirates' pitching lab can figure him out. Darrell-Hicks brings a sinker, cutter, and sweeper to the mix. Mid 90s sinker with solid movement on his sweeper. He did very well in the minor leagues in 2024, posting a 2.60 ERA with a 2.47 FIP. The main difference between the two seasons has been allowing home runs. The Pirates' pitching staff as a unit is among the best in the league in preventing home runs, so it is possible that if the Pirates can fix that, he can become a pretty decent reliever.

While that is a possibility to happen, he could very well just be a paper move to fill the 40 man. Dauri Moreta is very close to coming off the 60-day injured list, so he could very well be DFA'd soon to correspond that.

Losing Rodriguez for another long period of time really stinks. In the meantime, the Pirates need Joey Bart to get hot following his rehab assignment and for Henry Davis to keep things up behind the plate. Even while Darrel-Hicks doesn't seem like a significant piece to expect in the big leagues, maybe they can figure him out.

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