Cherington: Derek Shelton Expected To Return As Pirates’ Manager In 2025
The Pirates’ fall both in the NL Central and the NL Wild Card hunt has prompted plenty of speculation about the job security of manager Derek Shelton, but general manager Ben Cherington told the team’s beat today that he feels Shelton is the “right person to manage this team in 2025” and said he expects Shelton will return next season (X link via Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Shelton initially signed a four-year deal spanning the 2020-23 seasons and was extended early in the ’23 campaign.
It’s the second straight year in which the Pirates have shown signs of getting back into contention in the NL Central, only to fade in significant fashion. The ’23 Pirates got out to one of the hottest starts of any club in baseball but wilted as the season wore on. This year’s club rebounded from a slow start with a hot summer showing, going 29-22 in June and July to position themselves as a Wild Card contender. Cherington added Bryan De La Cruz, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jalen Beeks at the deadline in hopes of sparking a postseason push for his club, but the Bucs responded with a disastrous 8-19 record in August, tanking their playoff hopes. They’re currently 69-76, sitting last place in the division.
Shelton, 54, is in his fifth season managing the Pirates. They’ve yet to produce a winning record or finish better than fourth in the division under his watch, although as is the case with any manager of a rebuilding club, that’s hardly a reflection of his effectiveness. The Pirates tore down much of the roster and embarked on a lengthy rebuilding effort when Cherington was hired, and Shelton has rarely been given the makings of a competitive big league roster. That said, the Buccos have had a better foundation recently — certainly this season, with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones arriving on the scene — but have yet to consistently look like a well-rounded club.
Starting pitching is the organization’s strength, with Skenes, Jones and Mitch Keller comprising a strong trio atop the rotation. But many of the Pirates’ most touted young hitters have failed to progress as hoped — whether that be third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who’s declined at the plate amid a series of back injuries, or former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis, who’s mashed in Triple-A but has yet to carry that production to the majors. Pittsburgh’s bullpen was also touted by Cherington as a potential strength heading into the season but has generally floundered this season, thanks in large part to a surprising step back from former All-Star closer and Pittsburgh native David Bednar.
Bolstering the lineup and improving the bullpen figure to be focal points for the front office this offseason, although perennially frugal owner Bob Nutting isn’t likely to give Cherington & Co. much to work with in terms of financial resources. That’ll only increase the importance of extracting the most from their in-house young talents. Given some of the myriad struggles up and down the roster, it’s plenty feasible that there’ll be changes made to Shelton’s coaching staff. Barring a turnaround next season, it also stands to reason that Shelton himself could be on thin ice sooner than later.
It’s at least anecdotally notable that Shelton’s predecessor, Clint Hurdle, publicly stated late in the 2019 season that he’d been told he’d return for the 2020 season — only to be fired a matter of days later. This situation isn’t exactly analogous, as it’s the general manager and not Shelton himself making this statement. Cherington’s comment does stop short of firmly declaring that Shelton will be retained, which technically leaves the door cracked for owner Bob Nutting to step in and make a change, but the overwhelming likelihood is now that Shelton will get a sixth go at helming the ship and trying to steer the Pirates into a legitimate postseason contender.
Pirates Outright Billy McKinney
Sept. 9: McKinney went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, per the Pirates’ transaction log at MLB.com. He can either elect free agency now or accept the assignment and become a minor league free agent at season’s end.
Sept. 6: The Pirates designated outfielder Billy McKinney for assignment Friday, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to catcher Joey Bart, who’s been reinstated from the injured list.
McKinney was traded from the Yankees to the Pirates over the winter in exchange for international bonus pool space. He’s spent the bulk of the season with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate where he’s missed time with injury but posted a sound .295/.396/.450 batting line in 154 plate appearances when healthy. Pittsburgh selected him to the 40-man roster late last month, and he’s appeared in 10 games, hitting .200/.286/.240 in that small sample.
A 2013 first-round pick by the A’s, McKinney has found himself involved in plenty of notable trades over the years. He went from Oakland to the Cubs as part of the Jeff Samardzija trade in 2014, then was flipped from Chicago to New York as part of the 2016 Aroldis Chapman blockbuster. The Yankees eventually traded McKinney to Toronto as part of their deal for veteran lefty J.A. Happ.
McKinney has gotten looks with seven different big league organizations but never topped 276 plate appearances in a single big league season with one team. He’s played in 321 MLB games and picked up 943 plate appearances, batting .209/.284/.386 in that time. The former top prospect has appeared in parts of seven Triple-A seasons and slashed .274/.359/.504 with 56 homers in 1304 plate appearances at that level.
Pirates Select Billy Cook; Place Henry Davis On 10-Day Injured List
The Pirates announced today that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Billy Cook. In a corresponding move, catcher Henry Davis was placed on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his left hand. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 39. Additionally, the club announced that right-hander Domingo German has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A.
Cook, 25, was a tenth-round pick by the Orioles in the 2021 draft. Cook was a relatively fast riser with the Orioles and made it to Triple-A earlier this year. The outfielder performed admirably with a .279/.372/.485 slash line in 304 trips to the plate with the club’s affiliate in Norfolk. Cook was dealt to the Pirates in a swap on the day of the trade deadline, with Pittsburgh sending minor league right-hander Patrick Reilly to Baltimore in exchange for Cook’s services. Since joining the Pirates organization, Cook has picked up right where he left off at Triple-A Indianapolis with a .276/.389/.486 slash line in 30 games.
That’s clearly enough for the club’s brass to decide the youngster ought to be given a shot in Pittsburgh. Oneil Cruz‘s recent move to center field leaves the Pirates with regular starters at each outfield position for the moment, as Cruz is flanked by Bryan Reynolds and Bryan De La Cruz in the outfield corners while Connor Joe and Michael A. Taylor both also mix in on a fairly regular basis. It’s an open question, then, whether Cook will be able to find much playing time on the club’s roster as things stand. That being said, however, Cook also has experience at both first and second base that could allow him to find more playing time. He could mix in alongside Joe and Rowdy Tellez at first base while also offering Nick Gonzales an occasional day off at the keystone.
Making room for Cook on the active roster is Davis, the first overall pick from the 2021 draft. The top prospect made his big league debut last year but has struggled to establish himself in the big leagues to this point in his career with a .191/.283/.307 slash line in 99 games across the past two seasons where he’s split time between the outfield and catcher. Now, he’s headed to the injured list for the second time this year, following up a stint on the concussion IL back in June.
This time, Davis is dealing with hand inflammation, though the severity of the issue is not yet clear. With the end of the regular season just three weeks away and the Pirates all but eliminated from playoff contention, a stint on the shelf that extends beyond the minimum ten days could spell the end of his season even if the issue isn’t especially serious. With Davis out of action, the club figures to rely on a tandem of Joey Bart and Yasmani Grandal behind the plate in the season’s final weeks.
As for German, the right-hander signed with the Pirates on a minor league deal earlier this year and made seven appearances for the club, two of which were starts. Those outings did not go especially well, however, as German was lit up for 19 runs (18 earned) in just 20 2/3 innings of work. In all, he’s posted a 7.84 ERA, 6.13 FIP, and 18% strikeout rate during his time with the big league Pirates this year. Now back in Triple-A, German figures to serve as non-roster depth for the club’s pitching staff for the remainder of the season before likely trying his luck in minor league free agency this winter.
Pirates Designate Domingo Germán For Assignment
The Pirates announced that left-hander Joey Wentz, whom they claimed off waivers earlier this week, has been added to the active roster. Right-hander Domingo Germán has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move. Prior to the official announcement, Robert Murray of FanSided relayed on X that Germán would be designated for assignment. Earlier in the day, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review was among those to relay on X that Wentz was in the clubhouse while Germán was leaving in street clothes.
Germán, 32, has spent most of this year with Triple-A Indianapolis. He signed a minor league deal with the Bucs in the offseason, opting out of that deal in July before quickly re-signing a fresh minor league pact. His results with that club were mediocre, as he made 13 starts with a 5.29 earned run average. He struck out 21.9% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10.3% clip.
The Pirates selected him to the big league roster just under a month ago and have been using him in a swing role. He has made seven appearances, including two starts, with a 7.84 ERA, 18% strikeout rate and 13% walk rate. He started against the Cubs yesterday but allowed six earned runs in three innings, seemingly wearing out his welcome on the Pittsburgh roster.
Germán will be placed on waivers in the coming days. Since he has had to settle for minor league deals lately and didn’t get good results when given a chance, it seems fair to expect him to go unclaimed. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, so he might be on the open market again shortly.
He has had some good results in his career, including pitching MLB’s 24th perfect game in June of last year, but has also has plenty of on-field and off-field issues. While with the Yankees, he was placed on administrative leave in September of 2019 and eventually received an 81-game domestic violence suspension. Last year, before that perfect game, he received a foreign substance suspension. He eventually finished the year on the restricted list while getting treatment for alcohol abuse, following a reported confrontation in which he argued with people in the Yankee clubhouse before flipping a couch.
Pirates Claim Joey Wentz
The Pirates have claimed left-hander Joey Wentz off waivers from the Tigers, according to announcements from both clubs. The Tigers had designated him for assignment in recent days. The Pirates had an open 40-man spot but will need to open an active roster spot once Wentz reports to the team since he is out of options.
Wentz, now 26, was once a notable prospect. He was selected 40th overall by Atlanta in the 2016 draft and posted some good numbers in the minors before being flipped to the Tigers in the July 2019 trade that sent Shane Greene the other way. Unfortunately, Wentz required Tommy John surgery in March of 2020, putting him on the shelf for that year and part of 2021. The Tigers nonetheless believed in his future, adding him to their 40-man roster in November of 2020 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
Since coming back from his surgery absence, he has generally posted solid numbers in the minors but not in the majors. Over the 2021-23 seasons, he tossed 154 innings on the farm, allowing 3.97 earned runs per nine innings. His 11.4% walk rate in that time was a bit high but he struck out 26.7% of batters faced. But he had a 5.99 ERA in 138 1/3 major league innings during that same time frame, striking out just 19.9% of batters faced in the big leagues.
He exhausted his option years in that stretch and has been out of options here in 2024. The Tigers kept him in their bullpen for the first few months of the season with some mixed results. He was able to provide them with a multi-inning relief arm, soaking up 55 1/3 frames over 38 outings, but with a 5.37 ERA. His 23.6% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate are close to average but his .333 batting average on balls in play and 69.8% strand rate have both been a bit on the unlucky side. His 4.52 FIP and 3.97 SIERA both suggest he deserved better results than he got this year.
Perhaps that is what the Pirates will be banking on, in addition to Wentz’s previous prospect pedigree. They will have to keep him on their active roster due to his out-of-options status but that should be doable with just a few weeks left in the season and the club now out of contention. If they manage to keep Wentz on their roster, he can be retained well into the future. He will finish this season with under two years of service time, meaning he can be retained for five seasons after this one.
Pirates Release Jose Rojas
The Pirates have released infielder/outfielder Jose Rojas, according to his transactions tracker on MLB.com. He’ll head back out to the open market and assess the options for his next opportunity.
Rojas, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Pirates in July. He got into 15 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, stepping to the plate 59 times. He hit just .192/.288/.423 in that small sample, seemingly weighed down by a .189 batting average on balls in play. His 20.3% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate in that time were solid and he hit three home runs. Regardless, the Bucs decided to move on.
Prior to signing with the Pirates, he was coming off a pretty good stretch of decent results. He started 2024 on a minor league deal with the Yankees and slashed .254/.359/.561 in 67 games for their Triple-A club, leading to a 131 wRC+. That deal with the Yankees came on the heels of a good year in Korea. He spent 2023 with the KBO’s Doosan Bears and slashed .253/.345/.474 for a 126 wRC+ in 122 games for them.
Rojas has 83 games of major league experience, which came with the Angels in 2021 and 2022. He didn’t hit well in that time, producing a line of .188/.245/.339. He can perhaps intrigue clubs by the strong results he’s had in the two years since, but it’s an awkward part of the calendar. Now that it’s September, he won’t be eligible to play in the postseason for any new club he signs with, while clubs out of contention would likely prefer to give playing time to guys who are younger and still developing. Rojas can provide defensive versatility, as he has played all of the non-shortstop infield positions as well as the outfield corners in his career.
Pirates Activate Ryan Borucki, Colin Holderman
The Pirates announced earlier today that they’ve activated left-hander Ryan Borucki from the 60-day injured list and right-hander Colin Holderman from the 15-day injured list. No corresponding moves were necessary, as the club had space on the 40-man roster available. Pittsburgh was able to add two pitchers to the roster when rosters expanded today as opposed to the typical additions of one position player and one pitcher because the club already had 14 position players on the roster after Andrew McCutchen‘s recent return from the IL.
Borucki, 30, emerged as one of the club’s most reliable relievers last year when he pitched to a 2.45 ERA with a 3.50 FIP in 40 1/3 innings last year. The southpaw paired a solid 21.7% strikeout rate with a strong 46.8% groundball rate and allowed free passes to just 2.6% of opponents last year. That breakout performance came on the heels of an uneven career with the Blue Jays where he struggled to a 4.47 ERA and 4.41 FIP in 151 innings of work spread across five seasons, and it made the Pirates’ decision to avoid arbitration with Borucki by agreeing to a $1.6MM salary something of a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, the club’s investment in the lefty has not paid off as he has been limited to just four appearances this year due to triceps inflammation. The southpaw has been struggling to work his way back since he first went out on a rehab assignment in late June but finally found some consistency after returning to rehab in mid-August, with a 1.80 ERA at the Triple-A level across five rehab outings. Borucki now figures to join Aroldis Chapman and Jalen Beeks as a left-handed option out of the bullpen for the Pirates down the stretch as he looks to finish the season strong with an eye toward free agency in November.
As for Holderman, the right-hander has been a steady middle relief option for the Pirates all throughout the year. In his second full season with Pittsburgh, the 28-year-old has posted a solid 3.43 ERA in 42 innings, though his 4.43 FIP and an elevated 11.3% walk rate are potential red flags that he may not be able to keep that performance up long-term. Regardless, Holderman figures to rejoin the club’s middle relief corps alongside recently-demoted closer David Bednar down the stretch.
Pirates Re-Sign Jake Woodford
TODAY: Woodford elected free agency, but MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf reports (X link) that Woodford has re-signed with the Pirates on a new minor league contract.
AUGUST 29: Pirates righty Jake Woodford cleared outright waivers, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. He has the ability to elect free agency because he has been outrighted before in his career.
Woodford pitched in six games for Pittsburgh before they designated him for assignment on Monday. The 27-year-old righty started four of those appearances and posted a 6.95 ERA across 22 innings. Woodford had allowed 10 runs over two starts with the White Sox earlier in the year and carries an 8.01 ERA over 30 1/3 frames.
A former supplemental first-round pick of the Cardinals, Woodford pitched parts of four seasons with St. Louis. He combined for 184 2/3 innings of 4.29 ERA ball. That’s decent run prevention but came with a well below-average 15.1% strikeout percentage. Woodford’s lack of missed bats has caught up to him, as he has followed up a 6.23 ERA last year with this season’s disappointing numbers.
Woodford has gotten better results in the upper minors. He has started 17 games in Triple-A this year, working to a 4.02 ERA through 85 innings. He carries a matching 4.02 mark over parts of six seasons at that level.
Pirates Outright Brady Feigl
August 31: Feigl has been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to his MLB.com transactions tracker.
August 27: The Pirates announced that both right-handers Jared Jones and Carmen Mlodzinski have been reinstated from the injured list. In corresponding moves, infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae has been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis while left-hander Brady Feigl has been designated for assignment.
Feigl, 33, is a journeyman who has been known in baseball circles for some time due to an odd coincidence, or series of coincidences. He and Brady Feigl got some attention a few years ago due to not only having the same name, but also having a similar appearance. Both had red beards, wore glasses and were the same height. Both are pitchers, though one throws from the left and the other from the right. Inside Edition did a story on the weird juxtapositions between the two five years ago (YouTube link), even getting the two to take a DNA test, though it turned out they aren’t related.
The left-handed Feigl was added to Pittsburgh’s roster on Sunday after over a decade grinding away in the minors and indy ball. He had tossed 51 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year with a 3.83 earned run average, 29% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate.
He was able to make his major league debut yesterday, though it didn’t go especially well. He allowed six earned runs in an inning and two thirds, allowing seven hits without recording a strikeout. While sitting on a career ERA of 32.40 was probably not how he dreamed it would go, he can at least say he made it to the show.
With the trade deadline now passed, the Pirates will have to place Feigl on waivers in the coming days. If he goes unclaimed, he won’t have the right to reject an outright assignment, as he lacks both three years of service and a previous career outright. If that comes to pass, he will return to his previous status, providing the Bucs with depth in a non-roster capacity.
NL Central Notes: Pham, Walker, Greene, Abbott, McCutchen, Heller
Jordan Walker “will play every day” down the stretch for the Cardinals, manager Oliver Marmol told The Athletic’s Katie Woo and other reporters yesterday after St. Louis recalled the top prospect from Triple-A Memphis. After debuting with a solid rookie season in 2023, Walker has hit only .151/.229/.233 over 83 plate appearances at the MLB level this season, and the Cardinals have kept him at Triple-A for much of the season. While his production in Memphis this year was only decent, the Cards have seen enough to bring Walker back for an extended stretch of playing time that will ideally set the table for Walker to stick as a lineup regular in 2025 and beyond.
Some space in the Cardinals’ outfield was cleared for Walker when Tommy Pham was designated for assignment, a day after the team first put Pham on irrevocable waivers. Woo writes that Pham welcomed the news and had even discussed such a move with the Cards, as he’ll now have a chance at more regular playing time on another team. If he joins another club before Sunday, Pham will also be eligible for that new club’s postseason roster.
More from the NL Central…
- Reds manager David Bell updated MLB.com and other media on the status of a pair of injured starters, as Hunter Greene has started playing catch and Andrew Abbott is expected to start a throwing program next week. Greene hasn’t pitched since August 13 due to right elbow inflammation and there were concerns last week that his season could be over, but Bell indicated that Greene is aiming to return before the year is out. Abbott is also planning to pitch again in 2024, even though Bell said the left-hander is still feeling “a pinch” in his bothersome shoulder. Abbott has been sidelined since August 20 due to a shoulder strain. Since Cincinnati has fallen out of the playoff race, it stands to reason that either or both Greene or Abbott could be shut down at the first hint of a setback, but naturally both pitchers would prefer to keep playing and try to finish on a high note.
- Andrew McCutchen was activated from the Pirates‘ 10-day injured list yesterday, as the franchise icon returned after missing two weeks due to left knee inflammation. The franchise icon went 2-for-5 with a home run in Pittsburgh’s 10-8 loss to the Guardians, and McCutchen is now hitting .238/.337/.415 with 17 homers over 442 plate appearances in his 16th Major League season. In the corresponding move to activate McCutchen, Pittsburgh placed right-hander Ben Heller on the 15-day IL due to inflammation in his right shoulder.