Pirates Option Two-Time All-Star Closer To Triple-A After Rough Start

It seemed unfathomable that two years after being named an All-Star for a second time and leading the National League in saves that Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar would be demoted to the minors.

But that’s the situation the veteran right-hander found himself in Tuesday after a rough start to this season.

The Pirates made the difficult decision to option Bednar to Triple-A Indianapolis and called up highly touted pitching prospect Thomas Harrington. The Pirates also designated Jason Delay for assignment.

“It’s a challenging conversation, just No. 1 because of who David is as a person and actually what he’s done over the course of his time with the Pirates,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters prior to Tuesday’s game, per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette. “But, more importantly, I think it’s important for us. We have to get him right. He’s going to be a big part of our bullpen. We see him going down, getting right, coming back and being part of our bullpen. But it’s a challenging conversation, but right now, it’s about making sure we get David Bednar back to the status he was before.”

Bednar worked in three out of Pittsburgh’s first four games and the results weren’t good. Shelton used Bednar in a tie game in the ninth inning in the season opener against the Miami Marlins, but Bednar gave up a triple and the eventual walk-off hit.

He did bounce back the following day when he recorded a save, but he lived dangerously by giving up a two-run home run in the outing. Bednar then suffered another walk-off loss in stinging fashion when the Marlins scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

The Pirates sure hope some time at Triple-A will help Bednar work out the kinks and return to form. He struggled last season with a 5.77 ERA in 62 appearances, but in 2022 and 2023, Bednar combined to record 58 saves with a 2.27 ERA.

It’s unclear who will take over closer duties in Bednar’s absence. The Pirates didn’t have a chance to reveal a new closer in their 7-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night to drop to 1-5 on the season.