The Pirates announced four roster moves, including the news that catcher/infielder has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation. Left-hander was also designated for a signment. In the corresponding roster moves, the Bucs selected the contract of catcher , and called up right-hander from Triple-A Indianapolis. ( was among the beat writers who noted earlier today that Sullivan and Mattson had locker space in the Pirates clubhouse while Wentzs locker was gone, and manager told Hiles and other media and Rodriguez was going to the IL.) Rodriguez has been limited to 18 games and 52 plate appearances in what has been another injury-plagued season for the former top prospect. A lacerated finger sidelined Rodriguez for six weeks, and he played in just one inning of his third game back from the IL before elbow discomfort forced him out of yesterdays 5-4 Pirates win over the Phillies. The exact nature of the elbow i sue isnt known, but its a notable red flag given that Rodriguez mi sed the entire 2024 season due to UCL surgery. The best-case scenario is that Rodriguez is just feeling some residual sorene s perhaps more related to this years IL stint than anything lingering from his UCL procedure, but for now, Rodriguez will face additional time on the sidelines. With only a .173/.246/.250 slash line through his first 57 plate appearances, Rodriguez could also potentially use this absence as a reset on his season. Rodriguez has split time between first base and catcher when he has been able to play. For the latter position, since is also on the seven-day concu sion IL, Sullivan will now head to the majors to join as Pittsburghs catching combo. Sullivan was acquired in a trade with the Padres in mid- Abdel Nader Jersey April soon after Rodriguez was placed on the IL with his finger injury, as the Pirates wanted to add to their depth behind the plate. Sullivan has hit .206/.243/.299 over 103 PA at the big league level (all with San Diego in 2023-24). Over 11 pro seasons, the 31-year-old has posted some good numbers in the minors, including a .268/.338/.443 slash line and 43 home runs over 1670 Triple-A plate appearances. Sullivan has been considered a middling defensive catcher, which could explain why he hasnt received much big league time even while spending most of his career with the Rays and Padres two clubs that have their share of needs at catcher in recent years. Wentz is out of minor league options, so the Pirates had to designate the southpaw and expose him to waivers before trying to move him off the 40-man roster. Pittsburgh acquired Wentz on a waiver claim from the Tigers last September, and he has been decent if unremarkable over 38 innings of bullpen work. Twenty-six of those innings came this season, with Wentz posting a 4.15 ERA, 19.1% strikeout rate, and 9.6% walk rate. As per usual, Wentz has performed better against left-handed batters than right-handed batters over his career, though his splits this year (.661 OPS against lefties, .716 OPS against righties) dont reveal a huge gap. While his 2025 work remains a smaller sample size, it does represent a big step up from the 6.03 ERA Wentz posted in 173 innings with Detroit and Pittsburgh in 2023-24. That could be enough for a southpaw-needy team to put in a claim on Wentzs services, but if he clears waivers, he doesnt have a prior outright on his resume so hed have to accept an outright a signment to Indianapolis. Aleksej Pokusevski Jersey