SEATTLE -- Coming into the season, most probably would have expected Endy Rodríguez to step foot on a major-league field by July. Well, that technically happened Saturday, but not as a big-leaguer. It was T-Mobile Park in Seattle, and it was the MLB Futures Game, where Rodríguez -- the team's top prospect according to Baseball America -- was representing the Pirates as prospect.
Half of the 2023 season is in the books and Rodríguez is still with Class AAA Indianapolis. So I had to pose the question postgame, when is Pittsburgh going to see him in a Pirates uniform.
"At some point this year," Rodríguez told me in a one-on-one conversation.
That wasn't a good enough answer for J.P. Massey, the Pirates' pitcher rep at the game, so from the locker next over, he gave his own answer: "Tomorrow!"
So add Massey to the ever-growing list of people eagerly awaiting Rodríguez's major-league debut.
In reality, there's a reason why Rodríguez hasn't been called up yet: He's been inconsistent at the plate. The 23-year-old catcher had a monster season in 2022, slugging 25 home runs, 39 doubles with a .323 batting average and .996 OPS while skyrocketing through the system from Class High-A Greensboro to AAA Indianapolis. It seemed like he was setting himself up for an encore performance in spring training, where he hit .412.
Despite that very fitting number for Pittsburgh, he never had a chance to make the opening day roster, something Derek Shelton laid out during the winter meetings in December. Rodríguez had bounced around the diamond the previous two years and they wanted him to get more reps as a catcher first.
"I came to spring training with high expectations, that I want to make the team, but I was prepared for the bad part of the life," Rodríguez said.
Things got bumpy from there. A forearm injury sidelined him briefly in April. Whenever he returned in May, he struggled to get his timing back where he wanted. It's led to a somewhat underwhelming .258/.342/.390 slash line with just five home runs in 304 trips to the plate.
It's not what he wanted, and while he wouldn't say he was pressing, he did feel some pressure to try to replicate those 2022 results.
"I think it was more on me, trying to do more than I can do," Rodríguez confessed. "Obviously everybody wants to come here and break [with the major-league team] the first months. Go to the show. But sometimes it's learning how to be patient and just try not to do too much."
It's that patience that could be the catalyst for his offensive breakthrough this year.
Rodríguez walked twice in his two trips to the plate at the Futures Game. In his previous 15 games with Indianapolis, he walked 11 times compared to just seven strikeouts. His walk and strike rates were far off from what he had consistently done in past. Now that they're in line again, Rodríguez is hitting .317 with an .850 OPS over his last 15 games.
The Pirates were willing to look past some early season hiccups for Nick Gonzales for his big-league promotion because of the trends he had showed in the weeks prior. If that's the case, then Rodríguez is making a good case for himself for that call to the majors.
"Less swings," Rodríguez said the key to his recent success is. "I feel like that's the power to be better now. Less swings, control my strike zone, try to hit my pitch rather than the pitcher's pitch. Because they want to get me out and I want to get a hit. If I try to hit their pitch, I'll get out. I need to wait for my pitch."
Speaking of Gonzales, Rodríguez has had to watch several of his teammates and friends get their promotions before he got his. Gonzales, Henry Davis, Jared Triolo and Carmen Mlodzinski were all highly-rated prospects and draft picks who figure to be part of the team's long-term plans. Rodríguez does too, but those other players made their debuts first.
He's being patient, though, and he's been the guy cheering them on as they get the good news.
"It's a game, baby," Rodríguez said. "You can't control that part of the game. I'm feeling really excited about those guys being in the big leagues and doing [their] jobs they need to do. They're doing a really, really good job. I'm feeling excited. I played with those guys this year and it's really good for me."
Those position players also have some defensive versatility to fall back on. So does Rodríguez, who got back into playing first base occasionally once Davis was promoted to Indianapolis in May. It's just first base this time, unlike last year when he played second and the outfield as well.
Rodríguez doesn't mind the change. He'll do what's best for the team, of course, but the young man has a gift of gab. Those runners on first aren't getting away without some chatter.
"It's beautiful," Rodríguez said. "There isn't an easier base to play than that. Just catch the ball."
That might be a useful tool to have in his back pocket, considering Davis is available to catch in the majors and the Pirates love what Austin Hedges and Jason Delay bring behind the plate. It's not enough to block Rodríguez from the majors though, if he continues to show his offensive improvement.
Because we are going to see him in the majors this year, right?
"At some point. I promise," he answered.
"If it happens tomorrow, next week, a month, I'm going to come up and do my best job," Rodríguez said. Don't try to changing nothing and just give the best of me."
