Rodríguez made his Uruguay national team debut at age 18 in a friendly against Mexico, and represented the nation in two Copa América tournaments, scoring in the 2007 edition in a 4–1 quarter-final win over Venezuela, the hosts. After assaulting Argentina's Gabriel Heinze during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying stage (0–1 home loss) he received a four-match ban, and coach Oscar Tabárez opted to not select him for the final stages in South Africa.