PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates recently revealed their plans for the backup catcher role heading into Opening Day with a series of roster moves. The team announced that catcher Henry Davis, outfielder Billy Cook, and infielder Nick Yorke have been optioned to Triple-A.
We have optioned C Henry Davis, INF/OF Billy Cook and INF/OF Nick Yorke to Triple-A Indianapolis.
In addition, we have selected the contract of RHP Hunter Stratton to the 40-man roster and designated OF Joshua Palacios for assignment.
Our 40-man roster remains full.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 23, 2025
PITTSBURGH — With recent roster decisions, the Pittsburgh Pirates are down to just two catchers on their MLB roster: Joey Bart and Endy Rodríguez. Bart is widely expected to be the starting catcher, and with the Pirates optioning both Henry Davis and Jason Delay (the latter on March 18), Rodríguez is poised to step into the backup role. Manager Derek Shelton has yet to officially confirm Rodríguez as the backup, given the recency of the moves, but for the immediate future, he’ll support Bart behind the plate.
Henry Davis had a tough 2024 season with the Pirates, posting a .162/.280/.206 slash line across 23 games before being sent down to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 3. He returned briefly in June (six games) and late August/early September (eight games), but his struggles continued, hitting just .111 in those stints, ending the year with a .144 batting average.
Selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Louisville, Davis had shown promise in the minors and earned his MLB call-up on June 18. In Indianapolis in 2024, he thrived, slashing .307/.401/.555 over 57 games, with 67 hits, 15 doubles, 13 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 23 walks. This spring, Davis also performed well for the Pirates, hitting .250/.289/.472 with an OPS of .761, including two home runs—making him one of only five Pirates with multiple homers in spring training.
Endy Rodríguez, meanwhile, began 2023 with Indianapolis, where he slashed .268/.356/.415 over 67 games, recording 73 hits, 16 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 38 RBIs, and 36 walks. The Pirates called him up on July 17, and he debuted in an 11-0 home loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Over 57 games with Pittsburgh that year, he hit .220/.284/.328, with 41 hits, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 13 RBIs, and 17 walks.
His 2024 season was derailed by an injury sustained during winter ball, requiring reconstructive surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and flexor tendon on December 12, which sidelined him for the entire year. Rodríguez returned late in 2024, playing six games with Double-A Altoona and four with Indianapolis. This spring, he’s been impressive, slashing .321/.486/.571 for a 1.057 OPS, with nine hits, two doubles, one home run, six RBIs, and nine walks in 14 games.
The Pirates kick off their 2025 regular season on March 27 with a road series against the Miami Marlins, where Rodríguez aims to make an impact in his first full MLB season.
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