ESPN News Services
May 8, 2025, 12:53 PM ET
The Pirates have fired manager Derek Shelton following a rocky opening month to the season that saw Pittsburgh quickly slip into last place in the National League Central.
General manager Ben Cherington made the announcement Thursday. Bench coach Don Kelly will take over for Shelton.
The decision comes with Pittsburgh riding a seven-game losing streak that saw its record fall to 12-26 and the team drop 10 games back of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Shelton, hired by Cherington in November 2019 as part of a franchise-wide reset by owner Bob Nutting, went 306-440 in five-plus seasons with the Pirates.
"Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years," Cherington said in a statement. "His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that. He's an incredibly smart, curious, and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter."
Noting there is "a lot of baseball left to be played," Nutting said the team needed to "act with a sense of urgency and take the steps necessary to fix this now to get back on track as a team and organization." He said the first quarter of the season had been "frustrating and painful for all of us."
The Pirates, ranked 26th out of 30 MLB teams in Opening Day payroll, began the season hoping to contend behind reigning NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. Though the 22-year-old Skenes has been solid and the starting rotation in general has been steady, Pittsburgh's offense has languished near the bottom of the NL all season, sitting ahead of only the Colorado Rockies in batting average and runs scored.
Pittsburgh is in the middle of a difficult stretch that began with the team getting swept by both San Diego and St. Louis. Pittsburgh's next nine games are against NL powers Atlanta, the New York Mets and Philadelphia.
Kelly, a former major league player who entered the big leagues with Pittsburgh and is a native of the city, had served in his previous role with the Pirates since 2020.
"Donnie is as respected as any person in our clubhouse and throughout our organization," Nutting said. "He is a Pirate. He bleeds black and gold. No one is more committed, and no one loves this team or city more than Donnie. He is the right person to manage our team and help get us back on track."
The Pirates haven't made the postseason since 2015. That is the second-longest active postseason drought in baseball, ahead of only the Los Angeles Angels, who haven't reached the playoffs since 2014.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
