Rafael Flores Jr. Rewarded GM’s Faith With Strong Rookie Year for Pirates

Rafael Flores Jr. delivered an impressive rookie campaign for the Pittsburgh Pirates after being acquired from the New York Yankees in the 2025 David Bednar trade. Following a season-ending injury to Endy Rodríguez in July, Flores was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and quickly established himself as a key contributor in the Pirates lineup.

Flores finished his rookie season batting .264/.331/.527 with 11 home runs and 25 RBI across 47 games. Originally entering the year fourth on Pittsburgh's catching depth chart, the 25-year-old also made defensive strides, positioning himself to enter next season as the team's primary catcher.