The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled catcher Endy Rodriguez, right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester and infielder Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of Monday’s series opener against the visiting Cleveland Guardians.
To make room on the roster, the Pirates optioned catcher Jason Delay, right-hander Cody Bolton and outfielder Josh Palacios to Triple-A and designated outfielder Travis Swaggerty for assignment.
Priester and Rodriguez will make their respective major league debuts in Monday’s starting lineup, the first time Pittsburgh batterymates are making big-league debuts in the same game since 1943, according to the team.
Both Priester and Rodriguez were born in 2000, marking the first time in major league history that a starting pitcher-catcher combo was born in the current millennium, the team said.
Rodriguez, Priester and Peguero were ranked as the Nos. 3, 4 and 7 prospects, respectively, in Pittsburgh’s farm system by MLB Pipeline.
Priester, 22, was 7-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 18 starts for Indianapolis. Rodriguez, 23, appeared in 67 games for Indianapolis this year and batted .268 with six home runs, 16 doubles, 38 RBIs and 54 runs.
Delay, 28, was in his second season with the Pirates. He was batting .260 with a home run and 10 RBIs over 50 games.
Bolton, 25, made his major league debut in April and pitched to a 9.90 ERA over seven relief appearances (10 innings).
Palacios, 27, was in his third major league season and his first with Pittsburgh. He was batting .229 with a homer and 13 RBIs in 42 games.
Swaggerty, 25, had not played in a major league game this year after making his debut with five appearances in 2022.
The Pirates entered the week 41-52, 10 1/2 games out of first place in the National League Central.
–Field Level Media