Pirates' Endy Rodriguez heads back to IL; reliever Isaac Mattson, catcher Brett Sullivan promoted
The Pittsburgh Pirates made roster moves Saturday afternoon ahead of their home game vs. the Philadelphia Phillies.
Catcher Endy Rodriguez was placed on the 10-day injured list and, with Joey Bart still sidelined because of a concussion, fellow catcher Brett Sullivan had his contract selected from Triple-A Indianapolis.
To make room for Sullivan on the 40-man roster, lefty reliever Joey Wentz was designated for assignment, and fellow reliever Isaac Mattson was recalled from the Indians.
Rodriguez was removed during Friday night’s walk-off win over the Phillies because of elbow discomfort.
He had been activated from the injured list May 28 after being sidelined for approximately six weeks because of a hand laceration suffered in mid-April.
The 25-year-old now heads back to the injured list after appearing in only three games with the Pirates following the healing of his hand ailment.
He’s batting .173 with no home runs and two RBIs in 18 games.
Sullivan, 31, was acquired via trade with the San Diego Padres in mid-April.
Immediately optioned to Triple-A, he’s slashed .211/.250/.324 with a home run, one double, two triples and 10 RBIs in 20 games.
Originally a 17th-round (No. 508 overall) pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015, Sullivan has 40 games of MLB experience, all with the Padres, from 2023-24.
He played only seven games with San Diego last year but, in 2023, appeared in 33, hitting .210 with a home run and six RBIs.
He was designated for assignment by San Diego on March 22 and had his contract outrighted to Triple-A El Paso. A few weeks later, he was traded to the Pirates.
Sullivan’s last MLB game came with the Padres on July 10, 2024.
Mattson, a 29-year-old Erie native who played college baseball at Pitt, rejoins the big-league roster after being optioned to the Indians on May 26.
During his brief six-day stint with the Pirates in late May, he posted a 3.00 ERA in three outings, striking out four with one walk in three innings.
Mattson has gone 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA over 19 games with Indianapolis this season, recording 25 strikeouts with six walks in 21 innings.
Wentz, 27, was 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 19 games with the Pirates this season.
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
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