No Photo
Rafael Flores Jr.
C · Pittsburgh Pirates
| Position | C |
| Bats/Throws | R/R |
| Height | 6′ 3″ |
| Weight | 232 lbs |
| Age | 25 |
| Birthplace | Anaheim, CA, USA |
| Signed | 2022, New York Yankees, Undrafted Free Agent |
| College | Rio Hondo JC |
| MLB Debut | 2025-09-17 |
Contract Status
Service Time
0.013
1/1/2026
Options
3
1/1/2026
MLB FA
2032
2026 Service Time Gained: 0.093
2026 Option Year Used? Yes
Contract
2026 Salary$780,000 (Estimate)
League Minimum2026–2028
Arbitration Eligible2029–2031
Free Agent2032
Statcast
89.8 mph
Avg Exit Velo
110.2 mph
Max Exit Velo
9.7%
Barrel%
41.6%
Hard Hit%
Summary
| G | PA | AVG | HR | RBI | SB | K% | BB% | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (MLB) | 47 | 163 | .264 | 11 | 25 | 0 | 27.6% | 9.2% | .331 | .527 | .858 |
| MLB Career | 54 | 180 | .258 | 11 | 25 | 0 | 28.9% | 9.4% | .328 | .509 | .837 |
Last 10 Games
| Date | Lvl | Team | Opp | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-27 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | @ Detroit Tigers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .264 | .331 | .527 | .858 |
| 2026-09-25 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | @ Detroit Tigers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .271 | .340 | .542 | .882 |
| 2026-09-23 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | vs St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .271 | .342 | .529 | .871 |
| 2026-09-22 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | vs St. Louis Cardinals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .279 | .351 | .544 | .895 |
| 2026-09-20 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | vs Kansas City Royals | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .286 | .354 | .556 | .910 |
| 2026-09-19 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | vs Kansas City Royals | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .277 | .343 | .523 | .866 |
| 2026-09-17 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | vs Milwaukee Brewers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .268 | .331 | .512 | .843 |
| 2026-09-16 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | vs Milwaukee Brewers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .274 | .333 | .524 | .857 |
| 2026-09-15 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | vs Milwaukee Brewers | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .275 | .336 | .508 | .844 |
| 2026-09-13 | MLB | Pittsburgh Pirates | @ Chicago Cubs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .315 | .491 | .806 |
| Last 10 Total | 36 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 11 | .306 | .375 | .611 | .986 | |||
Stats & Game Logs
| Year | Age | Lvl | Team | G | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | K% | BB% |
|---|
Catching Stats
| Year | Age | Lvl | Team | G | PB | SB | CS | CS% | PO | cERA |
|---|
Season
| Date ↕ | Lvl ↕ | Team ↕ | Opponent | AB ↕ | H ↕ | 2B ↕ | 3B ↕ | HR ↕ | RBI ↕ | BB ↕ | SO ↕ | AVG ↕ |
|---|
| Split | PA | AB | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 163 | 148 | 39 | 11 | 25 | 15 | 45 | .264 | .331 | .000 | .331 |
| Recent Performance | |||||||||||
| Last 30 | 58 | 54 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 14 | .333 | .379 | .593 | .972 |
| Last 14 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | .067 | .125 | .267 | .392 |
| Last 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Home / Away | |||||||||||
| Home Games | 80 | 70 | 25 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 19 | .357 | .438 | .686 | 1.124 |
| Away Games | 83 | 78 | 14 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 26 | .179 | .229 | .385 | .614 |
| Day / Night | |||||||||||
| Day Games | 67 | 63 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 25 | .222 | .269 | .524 | .793 |
| Night Games | 96 | 85 | 25 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 20 | .294 | .375 | .529 | .904 |
| vs Handedness | |||||||||||
| vs Left | 78 | 69 | 19 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 21 | .275 | .359 | .565 | .924 |
| vs Right | 85 | 79 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 24 | .253 | .306 | .494 | .800 |
| vs Pitcher Role | |||||||||||
| Starter | 90 | 81 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 28 | .198 | .278 | .321 | .599 |
| Reliever | 73 | 67 | 23 | 9 | 21 | 6 | 17 | .343 | .397 | .776 | 1.173 |
| Runners | |||||||||||
| Bases Empty | 81 | 77 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 | .260 | .296 | .532 | .828 |
| Runners On | 82 | 71 | 19 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 25 | .268 | .366 | .521 | .887 |
| Scoring Position | 43 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 14 | .216 | .326 | .568 | .894 |
| Batting Order | |||||||||||
| Batting Second | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Batting Fourth | 25 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .182 | .280 | .227 | .507 |
| Batting Fifth | 25 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | .182 | .280 | .364 | .644 |
| Batting Sixth | 26 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | .250 | .308 | .417 | .725 |
| Batting Seventh | 39 | 37 | 14 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 9 | .378 | .410 | .757 | 1.167 |
| Batting Eighth | 32 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | .179 | .281 | .321 | .602 |
| Batting Ninth | 12 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 3 | .545 | .583 | 1.636 | 2.219 |
| Year | Age | Lv | PA | BIP | GB% | FB% | LD% | PU% | O-Sw% | Z-Sw% | O-Con% | Z-Con% | Sw% | Con% | Avg EV | Max EV | Avg LA | HH% | Brl% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 21 | R-FCL | 14 | 11 | 45.5% | 27.3% | 27.3% | 0.0% | — | — | — | — | 76.9% | 55.0% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 22 | A+ | 433 | 275 | 45.1% | 24.4% | 24.4% | 6.2% | — | — | — | — | 42.1% | 70.6% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 23 | AA | 276 | 168 | 36.3% | 33.3% | 24.4% | 6.0% | — | — | — | — | 45.8% | 72.5% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 23 | A+ | 234 | 139 | 48.9% | 23.7% | 26.6% | 0.7% | — | — | — | — | 38.9% | 65.5% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 24 | MLB | 17 | 8 | 50.0% | 37.5% | 12.5% | 0.0% | 40.5% | 75.0% | 41.2% | 58.3% | 55.4% | 51.2% | 94.8 mph | 108.6 mph | 14.0° | 62.5% | 12.5% |
| 2025 | 24 | AAA | 206 | 122 | 40.2% | 25.4% | 25.4% | 9.0% | 24.7% | 66.1% | 46.8% | 74.2% | 44.0% | 66.0% | 87.9 mph | 109.7 mph | 18.0° | 36.1% | 8.3% |
| 2025 | 24 | AA | 370 | 244 | 40.2% | 27.0% | 23.8% | 9.0% | — | — | — | — | 48.5% | 68.1% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2026 | 25 | MLB | 162 | 103 | 44.7% | 36.9% | 17.5% | 1.0% | 27.7% | 61.2% | 48.8% | 77.8% | 45.2% | 69.3% | 90.7 mph | 110.2 mph | 12.4° | 45.6% | 14.6% |
| 2026 | 25 | AAA | 277 | 159 | 47.8% | 22.6% | 22.6% | 6.9% | 23.5% | 57.0% | 54.9% | 78.4% | 39.1% | 70.9% | 89.1 mph | 109.7 mph | 8.9° | 39.0% | 6.4% |
| MLB Career | MLB | 179 | 111 | 45.1% | 36.9% | 17.1% | 0.9% | 29.3% | 62.4% | 47.6% | 75.8% | 46.3% | 67.1% | 91.0 mph | 110.2 mph | 12.5° | 46.8% | 14.4% | |
| AAA Career | AAA | 483 | 281 | 44.5% | 23.8% | 23.8% | 7.8% | 24.0% | 60.9% | 51.4% | 76.4% | 41.2% | 68.7% | 88.6 mph | 109.7 mph | 12.9° | 37.7% | 7.2% | |
| AA Career | AA | 646 | 412 | 38.6% | 29.6% | 24.0% | 7.8% | — | — | — | — | 47.3% | 69.9% | — | — | — | — | — | |
| A+ Career | A+ | 667 | 414 | 46.4% | 24.2% | 25.1% | 4.4% | — | — | — | — | 41.0% | 68.9% | — | — | — | — | — | |
| R-FCL Career | R-FCL | 14 | 11 | 45.5% | 27.3% | 27.3% | 0.0% | — | — | — | — | 76.9% | 55.0% | — | — | — | — | — |
Statcast FieldingMLB only
| Year | Team | Pos | Inn | OAA | FRV | Range | Arm | DP | Catch | Frame | Throw | Block | Pop | Blk BAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pirates | C | 9.0 | — | 0.1 | — | — | — | 0.1 | 0.0 | — | 0.0 | — | — |
| 2026 | Pirates | C | 269.1 | — | -1.3 | — | — | — | -1.3 | 0.7 | -0.8 | -1.1 | 1.94 | -5.0 |
| Career | C | 278.1 | — | -1.2 | — | — | — | -1.2 | 0.7 | -0.8 | -1.1 | 1.94 | -5.0 | |
| 2025 | Pirates | 1B | 33.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | — | -0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2026 | Pirates | 1B | 89.0 | -1.0 | -0.0 | -0.6 | — | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 1B | 122.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | -0.2 | — | 0.2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Transaction History
2026-09-16C Rafael Flores Jr. changed number to 43.
2026-09-15C Rafael Flores Jr. changed number to 21.
2026-08-01Pittsburgh Pirates activated C Rafael Flores Jr. from the 7-day injured list.
2026-07-24Pittsburgh Pirates placed C Rafael Flores Jr. on the 7-day injured list retroactive to July 23, 2026. Concussion.
2026-07-08Pittsburgh Pirates recalled C Rafael Flores Jr. from Indianapolis Indians.
2026-06-14Indianapolis Indians activated C Rafael Flores Jr..
2026-06-13Pittsburgh Pirates optioned C Rafael Flores Jr. to Indianapolis Indians.
2026-06-13C Rafael Flores Jr. roster status changed by Indianapolis Indians.
2026-06-10Pittsburgh Pirates recalled C Rafael Flores Jr. from Indianapolis Indians.
2026-06-09C Rafael Flores Jr. roster status changed by Indianapolis Indians.
2026-03-22Pittsburgh Pirates optioned C Rafael Flores Jr. to Indianapolis Indians.
2025-09-16Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of C Rafael Flores from Indianapolis Indians.
2025-08-01Indianapolis Indians activated C Rafael Flores.
2025-07-31C Rafael Flores assigned to Indianapolis Indians.
2025-07-19Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders activated C Rafael Flores.
2025-07-19C Rafael Flores assigned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders from Somerset Patriots.
2025-02-05New York Yankees invited non-roster C Rafael Flores to spring training.
2024-06-26C Rafael Flores assigned to Somerset Patriots from Hudson Valley Renegades.
2024-05-10Hudson Valley Renegades activated C Rafael Flores from the 7-day injured list.
2024-05-03Hudson Valley Renegades placed C Rafael Flores on the 7-day injured list.
2024-02-24C Rafael Flores assigned to New York Yankees.
2024-02-24C Rafael Flores roster status changed by New York Yankees.
2024-02-24C Rafael Flores roster status changed by New York Yankees.
2024-02-24C Rafael Flores roster status changed by New York Yankees.
2023-04-02C Rafael Flores assigned to Hudson Valley Renegades from FCL Yankees.
2023-02-25C Rafael Flores roster status changed by New York Yankees.
2023-02-25C Rafael Flores assigned to New York Yankees.
2022-08-08C Rafael Flores assigned to FCL Yankees.
2022-07-25New York Yankees signed free agent C Rafael Flores to a minor league contract.