Pirates' Manager Addresses David Bednar Demotion
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a stunning move when it came to their roster during the series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Pirates announced that they brought up right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington to the 40-man roster. They designated catcher Jason Delay for assignment to make room for this move on the 40-man roster, then optioned right-handed pitcher David Bednar to Triple-A Indianapolis to make room on the 26-man active roster.
Bednar had a poor start to this season for the Pirates, as he struggled in their opening series vs. the Miami Marlins on the road.
He allowed a leadoff triple in the series opener with the game tied at 4-4, eventually resulting in a walk-off.
Bednar also allowed a two-run home run in the second game on March 28, which he eventually got the save for a 4-3 win, and then threw a wild pitch, as the Marlins walked it off again for a 5-4 win in the series finale.
He had two losses in three games pitched and a 27.00 ERA over 1.0 innings pitched.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton spoke before the last game about the demotion and that it wasn't an easy decision at all, praising Bednar's character and his performances with the Pirates.
“Yeah, it’s a challenging conversation, just, number one because of who David is as a person and actually what he’s done over the course of his time with the Pirates."
Bednar's struggles began last season, with a 3-8 record, a 5.77 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched in 62 games, 23 saves and seven blown saves in 30 opportunities.
He started off the season poorly, blowing three saves in his first four save opportunities, but managed to get things back on track, and avoiding a blown save from April 12-Aug. 3.
Bednar struggled again in August, as the Pirates went 8-19 in the month after spending time competing for a National League wild card spot.
He blew saves in back-to-back games against the San Diego Padres at home on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8 and lost games with the score tied against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 11 and the Texas Rangers on Aug. 21, both on the road,
Shelton removed Bednar as the primary closer on Aug. 30, going by committee the rest of the season.
Bednar starred for the Pirates the previous two seasons, earning himself back-to-back All-Star appearances. He led the National League with 39 saves in 42 opportunities in 2023 with a 2.00 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched, and had 19 saves in 23 opportunities in 2022, with a 2.61 ERA in 51.2 innings pitched.
Shelton wants Bednar to take the time he spends in Indianapolis as one that will get him back to that All-Star form that he had in 2022 and 2023.
"I think it’s important for us, like we have to get him right," Shelton said. "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. It’s a challenging conversation, but right now it’s about making sure we get David Bednar back to the status he was before."
Shelton has a plan for Bednar to get back to that form and that he has a pitching group that will work with Bednar going forward.
"I think that’s what our pitching group will put together," Shelton said. "It seems like what the pitch mix is, pitch locations, whether it’s a delivery thing, all those things are what our pitching group will focus on and talk to David. I think, you guys have always known this, the specifics of that, we never really discuss that. There is some room for improvement there and that’s what were looking for."
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.