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Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton opened up about David Bednar’s return to the major leagues. The 30-year-old closer began the 2025 season on a rough note, struggling in his first three appearances in March.
He was eventually demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis after posting a 27.00 ERA and going 0-2. On Saturday, the Pirates recalled Bednar for their game against the Cleveland Guardians.
In a recent episode of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Shelton discussed Bednar’s return:
“Yeah, it was nice. It was nice to get him back. It was nice for him to have a clean outing. I give David a ton of credit. I mean, being optioned after you've been a two-time all-star is extremely challenging. And the one thing he did do is he went down and he did not waste a day."
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“And I know that sounds strange, but when guys get sent down, they can be angry and they can be frustrated and they can take time to work on the things that we felt he needed to work on. He did not waste a day. And it was nice to get him back.”
In the Pirates’ 3-0 loss to the Guardians on Saturday, David Bednar pitched one inning, allowing two hits and no runs while striking out two.
Further discussing Bednar’s return, Derek Shelton said:
“It was nice to see the execution of his breaking ball, which was much sharper than we had seen it throughout spring training and throughout the first couple of appearances he had this year, but overall good. And I mean, I think we've all set. We're a better bullpen with David Bednar in it, and it's nice to have him back and out on the mound.”
David Bednar opened up about his time in the minors following return to the Pirates
Last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, David Bednar appeared in 62 games, recording a 5.77 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP over 57.2 innings pitched. Discussing his return to the Pirates after a stint in the minors, Bednar said (via MLB.com):
"These past couple weeks, getting to work with the pitching coaches down there, really just optimized my stuff. As frustrating as it was, I just tried to make the most out of it, and I know I'm in a really good spot moving forward.”
Bednar made his MLB debut in 2019 with the San Diego Padres. The Padres traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in January 2021, and he earned All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023.
