Pirates Catcher Also an Option at First Base
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsbugh Pirates have looked at many options for first base heading into the season and will even look at a catcher playing the position.
Endy Rodríguez won the battle for backup catcher, after the Pirates optioned Henry Davis to Indianapolis on March 22. Joey Bart will serve as the starter with Rodríguez behind him.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton also sees Rodríguez as an option at first base, as they've dealt with uncertantities at the positon.
"Honestly, I think we had to make sure he was going to be the decision for the second catcher, that he was going to be the guy. We didn't want to short change that decision. If we push him somewhere else, say 'Hey, you're going to do this first,' and then decide that it's not him, I don't think it would've been fair to him, in terms of it," Shelton said to Greg Macafee of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
"So, we knew we had it in our back pocket, because he's played first, he's played second, he's played left, he has the ability to do that. But it wouldn't have been thoughtful of us to throw something else on his plate and then he doesn't make the team. I think we wanted to make sure. It wasn't anything we hid. We wanted to give this the full chance because we view him as a catcher. We view him as a catcher long-term, so now that we have the ability to pivot a little bit, we will do that."
The Pirates have had six players serve as first base for them during Spring Training. DJ Stewart, a non-roster invite, has played there the most, seven times, Jared Triolo has played there six times, Darrick Hall and Nick Yorke both played there four times, Billy Cook played there three times and Adam Frazier played there twice.
Pittsbugh sent Hall, Yorke and Cook down to Triple-A, so the battle is mostly between Stewart and Triolo, with Rodríguez in the mix as well.
The Pirates have looked for options at first base and originally traded with the Cleveland Guardians for Spencer Horwitz back on Dec. 10. They sent three players in return to the Guardians in right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and left-handed pitchers in Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy.
Horwitz is currently out dealing with a right wrist injury and his timeline was six to eight weeks from Feb. 12, but the Pirates haven't confirmed when he'll return.
Stewart, who came to spring training as a non-roster invite for the Pirates, impressed the franchise early on. He has slashed .250/.348/.450 for an OPS of .798, with 10 hits, five double, seven runs, five RBIs and four walks in 19 games in the Grapefruit League.
Triolo has played first base for the Pirates before, but sparingly, with nine games in 2024 and three games in 2023.
While Triolo mostly plays at third base, he also features at both shortstop and second base, sesrving as a true utility man for the Pirates.
Triolo has slashed .231/.302/.333 in 16 games for the Pirates in spring training, with nine hits, six runs, two triples, one RBI and three walks.
Rodríguez started the 2023 season with Indianapolis, slashing .268/.356/.415, with 73 hits, 16 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 38 RBIs and 36 walks in 67 games.
The Pirates called him up on July 17, where he made his debut in an 11-0 loss at home vs. the Cleveland Guardians.
Rodríguez played 57 games for the Pirates the rest of 2023, slashing .220/.284/.328 with 41 hits, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 13 RBIs and 17 walks.
He suffered an injury during winter ball that offseason and underwent reconstructive surgery on ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and flexor tendon on Dec. 12, which kept him out for the 2024 campaign.
Rodríguez did come back for 10 games at the end of 2024, playing six with the Double-A Altoona Curve and four with Indianapolis.
He has had a solid spring himself, slashing .321/.486/.571 for an OPS of 1.057., with nine hits, two doubles, a home run, six RBIs and nine walks in 14 games.
The Pirates will open their regular season with a road series vs. the Miami Marlins on March 27.
