BRADENTON, Fla. — After lacking nearly all of 2024 on account of elbow surgical procedure, Endy Rodríguez seems to have received the Pirates second catcher’s job and earned a spot on his first Opening Day roster.
The Pirates introduced 5 roster strikes Saturday evening that clear up a number of the questions surrounding the membership’s place participant pool forward of Opening Day. Outfielder Joshua Palacios was designated for project, whereas catcher Henry Davis and infielder-outfielders Nick Yorke and Billy Prepare dinner have been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. Moreover, the group chosen the contract of right-hander Hunter Stratton.
The second catcher job was one of the contested roster battles this Spring Coaching, with Rodríguez and Davis being the 2 entrance runners to pair with Joey Bart. Whereas Davis had a strong displaying, hitting .250 with a .472 slugging proportion and a pair of homers in 38 journeys to the plate. Rodríguez was one of many group’s finest hitters this spring, slashing .321/.486/.571 in his 37 plate appearances.
Rodríguez performed 57 video games with the Pirates in 2023, however was restricted to only a handful of rehab video games final yr following elbow surgical procedure after taking a foul swing in winter ball. He discovered his swing and grew extra snug on the plate as he confronted dwell pitching once more this spring, and he has acknowledged a number of instances that he’s felt “100%” in camp.
The opposite place that was up for grabs this spring was first base; Yorke and Prepare dinner have been two younger contenders within the combine. Prepare dinner drew eight walks this spring in 33 plate appearances, however hit simply .160 with 9 strikeouts. Yorke hit the ball laborious in camp (averaging a 95.4 mph exit velocity), nevertheless it didn’t translate into outcomes, as he hit .206 with 10 strikeouts.
This marks the third straight yr Stratton has pitched his means onto the Pirates’ roster. He ruptured the patellar tendon in his left knee final August sliding into the limestone behind residence plate at PNC Park, however he rehabbed nicely and made his spring debut Saturday, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
The Pirates’ roster is at the moment full at 40 gamers, and so they should make extra roster selections earlier than Opening Day Thursday in Miami.
