Endy Rodriguez was removed from the start of the second inning Friday night because of right elbow discomfort, leaving the Pittsburgh Pirates with only one catcher against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rodriguez missed the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, an injury suffered while playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic in November 2023.
Rodriguez spent nearly six weeks on the 10-day injured list this season after suffering a laceration on his right index finger when a foul ball ricocheted off his hand against the Washington Nationals on April 14. He’s batting .173/.246/.250 with four doubles and two RBIs.
Joey Bart is on the seven-day concussion injured list but became eligible to be activated Wednesday. Bart suffered mild concussion symptoms May 27 in the fifth inning of a 9-6 win at the Arizona Diamondbacks and remains in concussion protocol while doing baseball activities.
If the Pirates need an emergency catcher, the most likely candidate is shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who broke into the major leagues at the position and played 73 career games (66 starts) there for the Texas Rangers in 2018-19.
The Pirates have turned to an infielder behind the plate before: on May 7, 2022, backup Andrew Knapp was ejected from the visiting dugout and starter Roberto Perez tore his hamstring while rounding second base in the first game of a doubleheader at Cincinnati. Josh Van Meter caught the bottom of the eighth inning of a 9-2 loss.