TAMPA, Fla. -- Endy Rodríguez spends most of his days smiling, but this one felt different.
Standing in the visitors’ clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Rodríguez's eyes lit up while discussing his second home run of Spring Training, which came during a 5-3 Pirates victory over the Yankees.
Yes, Rodríguez was looking for a 2-2 slider down-and-in, a place where he’s done damage in the past.
No, he didn’t miss it, driving the pitch to left-center field at 104 mph.
It’s the type of swing the Pirates have been hoping to see from Rodríguez. But it’s also one that has been impossible due to substantial injury issues over the past few seasons, elbow troubles that’ve limited the 25-year-old to just 36 games in the Majors and Minors combined since 2024.
The sample size is small, and there’s not exactly a clear-cut path to playing time with the Pirates’ big league roster. But Rodríguez continues to take steps toward looking like the top-100 prospect (No. 35) he was when he made his MLB debut in July 2023.
“I know my tools,” Rodríguez said. “I know the player that I am. It doesn't matter how many injuries or how much time I'm gonna be out [of] the game, I'm gonna go out there and do my best. That's all I can say.”
Rodríguez is hitting .250 in seven Grapefruit League games and has a .975 OPS thanks to four walks, including another Monday. His swing has been in a good place. But more important than anything, Rodríguez has been healthy.
The Pirates are slow-playing his reps behind the plate, ensuring he stays healthy. But he’s working in the bullpen, building relationships with pitchers and moving around defensively like he has in the past.
Triple-A Indianapolis is the most likely outcome for Rodriguez to start the season. He needs to play. But if he’s able to tap into the power that led to him being the Pirates’ Minor League Player of the Year a few years back, Rodríguez's smile should return to PNC Park soon enough.
“Last year was tough, I think tougher than '24. But this year seems different,” said Rodríguez, who had Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon repair surgery in December 2023, then another procedure to fix his ulnar nerve this past August.
“My body feels different. My arm feels different. I think this year, I'm going to be able to do a lot for the team.”
Griffin flying
Konnor Griffin has been a Statcast darling with a few swings of his bat this spring. Against the Yankees, Griffin let his legs do the work.
His fifth-inning double came on a 1-2 sweeper that he tucked inside the third-base bag, driving in a pair of runs. Griffin was thinking two all the way, racing 180 feet in 8.07 seconds.
The 95th-percentile placement is about what you would expect from someone with 70-grade speed, but it was nonetheless impressive to witness.
“That was fun getting out of the box quick, trying to get to second and leg out a double,” Griffin said. “Speed is a part of my game. To be able to get a double out of it today and help the team score some runs, that was fun.”
Griffin is up to 24 at-bats this spring. No Pirates player has more. He's hitting .208 with an .894 OPS after going 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts on Monday.
Whether Griffin challenges further for the Opening Day roster or not, this experience -- especially things like facing Yankees starter Max Fried -- has been extremely beneficial, baseball’s top prospect said.
“Just seeing what the game throws at me,” Griffin said. “The experience of getting to face guys like Max Fried, that’s just helping me grow as a player, whether I succeed or not.
“Just little notes I’m able to take down from a high-level pitcher like that, I can continue to take it to tomorrow and see how we can attack the next guy I face.”
Bullpen shines
While how the Pirates round out their rotation is fairly fungible at this point -- José Urquidy started against the Yankees -- they should feel comfortable with how the bullpen has performed.
Isaac Mattson, Mason Montgomery and Yohan Ramírez worked four scoreless innings Monday, allowing just two hits. Mattson in particular has been dominant all spring. His outings last a matter of minutes.
Add those guys to Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, Justin Lawrence and others, and it should be a formidable group.
Urquidy, meanwhile, didn't provide much clarity. He cruised through two while pounding the zone. But then he threw a few fastballs that got pounded: Giancarlo Stanton and Paul DeJong each hitting homers off Urquidy.
Cody Bellinger added a double on another four-seamer that Urquidy left up.
"I gave up a couple homers trying to attack up and away to them," Urquidy said. "That’s part of the game."
Urquidy feels good physically, and his changeup has been extremely sharp. There's a lot to like with his experience and reverse splits, too.
While Urquidy talked afterward about his family looking for a house in Pittsburgh and hoping to make the starting rotation, it feels like there's still a lot the Pirates need to learn about their pitching depth.