The Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/first baseman Endy Rodriguez has once again undergone season ending surgery after just getting his ailing elbow operated on. Drs. Neil ElAttrache and Steve Shinn at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles operated on Rodriguez’s right elbow on Tuesday.
During this procedure, the doctors performed a ulnar nerve transposition surgery. It was reported that there was no damage to the surgically repaired UCL that Rodriguez underwent treatment for after injuring it in 2024.
Rodriguez’s elbow soreness limited him in 2025, as he was only able to appear in 18 games. During that span in which he started eight contests at catcher and nine at first base, the 25-year old former top prospect had a slash line of .173/.246/.496 with four doubles, two RBIs, and no homers.
The timeline that was given for Rodriguez to return was positive given the circumstances. The team is expecting him to be able to report and participate fully in baseball activities by the start of Spring Training in 2026. Although Rodriguez was formerly a top prospect in Pittsburgh’s system, his struggle with consistency and injury history has made him largely inaffective for the Pirates. Unfortunately, he has not looked like the catcher of the future that many thought he could be, and this new surgery is only going to push that progress back even farther.
By the time Spring Training rolls around, there will be plenty of competition at the catcher position with Henry Davis fully in the mix as of late, as well as Joey Bart, and newly acquired Minor Leaguer Rafael Flores. Hopefully this procedure doesn’t slow down Endy anymore than his previous injuries have already.