Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton made a decision that many fans have been wanting, or have at least been open to, for months.
A few days ago, he told Pirates reporters that the team would be moving David Bednar out of the closer role, at least for the short term. Shelton didn’t commit to a Bednar replacement, saying the team will be doing “closer by committee.” Bednar, meanwhile, will try to work out his issues in lower-level situations with Pittsburgh.
The right-hander has struggled mightily for the majority of the season. In 50 games and 47.0 innings, Bednar has posted a 3-7 record, 6.32 ERA, 1.426 WHIP, and has surrendered eight home runs.
It has been quite the fall from grace for the Pittsburgh native this year. Coming off of his second straight All Star season in 2023, Bednar was supposed to be the crown jewel of Pittsburgh’s bullpen, which was advertised as the team’s greatest strength when the season opened.
His struggles early on could have been shrugged off due to having a lack of reps in spring training. A right lat injury kept him out during most of the team’s action in Florida, meaning his first real action came when the games actually mattered. In his first five games (4.1 innings), Bednar had surrendered six earned runs and blown three saves. Opponents were batting .300 against him.
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