Endy Rodríguez DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

According to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com, Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Endy Rodriguez (elbow) "feels great" heading into spring training. Rodriguez missed most of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair his UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow. Rodriguez noted that his swing feels "correct" as well. However, fantasy managers should expect him to be eased into action during spring training, as he appeared in just 10 games (all in the minor leagues) last season. In 2023, Rodriguez made his big league debut and posted a .220/.284/.328 line with seven doubles and three home runs. While Joey Bart is likely penciled in as the Opening Day starting catcher, Rodriguez is expected to compete for the No. 2 role with former top prospect Henry Davis during spring training. If Rodriguez makes the Opening Day roster, he could be worth a look in deeper NL-only formats.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said at the MLB winter meetings on Monday that the expectation is that catching prospect Endy Rodriguez (elbow) will be "fully healthy" for the start of spring training in mid-February. Rodriguez was forced to miss all of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery to fix the UCL and flexor tendon in his right elbow in December of 2023, although he did take part in a minor-league rehab assignment in September for Double-A Altoona. The 24-year-old backstop switch-hitting Dominican made his MLB debut in 2023 and slashed .220/.284/.328 with three homers and 13 RBI in 57 games for the Bucs in 57 games. Given all the time he missed last year while recovering from elbow surgery, it would not be a surprise at all to see Rodriguez start in the minors in 2025 while serving as catching depth for Joey Bart and Henry Davis at the big-league level.

Pittsburgh Pirates switch-hitting catcher Endy Rodriguez (elbow) is now hitting live batting practice from the left side, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Rodriguez will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing elbow surgery in December, but it's good to see that the 24-year-old backstop is making progress in his recovery. The Dominican backstop made his big-league debut in 2023 and struggled, slashing .220/.284/.328 with a .612 OPS, three home runs, 13 RBI and 27 runs scored in 57 games played. Former first-rounder Henry Davis (concussion) has been out for a while now with a head injury and has so far been a bust in the big leagues. In the meantime in 2024, Joey Bart and veteran Yasmani Grandal are going to split the catching duties in Pittsburgh moving forward.