Pirates notebook: Ben Cherington shows patience as catchers Endy Rodriguez, Henry Davis develop defensively

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday he understands fans’ eagerness to see if minor-league catchers Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis can help the major-league club, but he wants to continue to monitor their development in Triple-A and Double-A.

“We came into the season with pretty simple, but pretty important (defensive) goals for both of them,” Cherington said on his radio show on 93.7 FM. “One of the goals was simply just to play more. For a variety of reasons, neither guy had really had an opportunity to be the primary catcher on a team for a longer stretch of time.”

Before Sunday, each player had caught 18 games, Rodriguez for Indianapolis and Davis for Altoona.

“We didn’t have any magic number in mind before we assess things and see where we’re at,” Cherington said. “I’m pretty sure it would have been more than 18 had we set a number.

“Both are in really good spots. Both are making gains defensively. We know the potential impact it can have on the Pirates if we can develop not just one, but perhaps more than one offensive catcher. We want to give that the best chance to happen.”

Cherington said he understands fans’ desire to see if Rodriguez and/or Davis can help a team that had scored only 18 runs in the 12 games before Sunday.

“I can really relate to it,” Cherington said. “I’m a fan first before ever having this job. That’s part of (having) so much fun, being a fan, following a team, seeing what players might be coming and anticipating the potential impact a young player can have. I totally get it from that perspective.”

Rodriguez, who will turn 23 on May 26, was acquired before the 2021 season in a three-team trade that cost the Pirates starting pitcher Joe Musgrove. The Pirates received David Bednar and three other prospects from the San Diego Padres, in addition to Rodriguez from the New York Mets.

Davis, 23, was the Pirates’ first-round draft choice in 2021.

Before Sunday’s game at Baltimore, Rodriguez was hitting .250/.340/.398 in Indianapolis, with three home runs, 11 RBIs and 16 singles among his 22 hits.. Davis was hitting .310/.459/.667, with eight home runs and 17 RBIs.

Austin Hedges and Jason Delay are sharing catching duties with the Pirates. Hedges was batting .138 while throwing out only three of 22 potential base stealers. Delay, who was hitting .340 with a home run and eight RBIs, had thrown out three of 18.

Cutch at the top

Designated hitter Andrew McCutchen batted leadoff for the Pirates on Sunday for the first time since 2011. He singled and scored in the first inning before striking out to end the second and popping out in the fourth.

“I think Shelty is just mixing things up a little bit,” Cherington said. “Given Cutch’s on-base skills, bringing that skill to the top of the lineup.”

McCutchen, whose OPS was .840 before Sunday, recently drew his 1,000th career walk and had a total of 1,004. He has played only five games in right field this season, but Cherington said that is partially because of Ji Man Choi’s injury taking a potential DH out of the lineup and McCutchen’s minor ankle injury.

“I anticipate as we get deeper into the season, we’ll see him out in the outfield again,” he said.

Hayes drops to 5

Ke’Bryan Hayes batted fifth in the order for only the sixth time this season.

“(Hayes) makes so much contact. Hopefully, a little deeper in the lineup to get some activity in front of him, that contact will come in handy for us,” Cherington said.

Hayes, who drove in a run with a single in the third inning, is hitting .235, with 24 strikeouts and one home run in 164 plate appearances.

“The exit velo is there. There is nothing wrong with how hard he is hitting the ball,” Cherington said. “It’s really just about the trajectory of the ball after he hits it. Ultimately, we’ll unlock that power.

“(Hayes) is still working on that. He’s well aware of it. It’s not something that everyone is going to snap their fingers and change. There is more in the bat. We know it. He knows it. I believe his best days are ahead of him.”

Nothing new

There is “no news to share” on a possible contract extension for pitcher Mitch Keller, Cherington said. But he added, “no question, we would love Mitch to be a Pirate for a long time.”

“More often than not, if there is a conversation (about a contract extension), it happens in the offseason or spring training. Less often does it happen during the season. If there’s ever a time and a situation where it makes sense to have more conversations about that, we’ll certainly have the door open to that.”

Velasquez update

Cherington said Vince Velasquez (right elbow inflammation) may start a rehab assignment in Indianapolis by the end of the week. “We’ll take it a step at time … could be a couple (outings) in Indy. He’s responded very well.”