As David Bednar settled back into his familiar locker stall in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse, Ryan Borucki was thrilled to see the two-time All-Star closer back with his hometown team, even if he comes with chip the size of a boulder on his broad shoulders.
“He’s the big man for a reason — his aura, everything about him,” Borucki said of Bednar, a Mars alum. “He is Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. He’s the leader of our bullpen. We missed him. It’s going to be good to have his personality here on a daily basis, just his smile. Even when he’s doing bad, he’s always the same guy. It’s good to have him back. He’s definitely hungry. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
Despite the disappointment of being demoted to the minor leagues on April Fool’s Day, Bednar channeled his frustration into focusing on getting right. He was 0-2 with a 27.00 ERA and one save after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks with one strikeout in facing nine batters over one inning in three appearances.
After shoving in a short stint at Triple-A Indianapolis — with seven strikeouts, one hit and no walks in five scoreless appearances — the 30-year-old right-hander was recalled Saturday. To make room on the active roster, left-handed reliever Tim Mayza was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder lat muscle strain.
“Playing in the big leagues is something I never once even remotely took for granted, but it’s an absolute privilege to be here,” Bednar said. “Just appreciate every second here and appreciate being with the guys. It’s just awesome to be back.”
The Pirates have been quick to praise Bednar for how he handled being optioned before the first homestand of the season. Not only does Bednar have a track record as a closer, with 84 saves in his first four seasons with the Pirates, but he’s one of the most popular players in both the clubhouse and the community for his charitable efforts.
“While certainly he doesn’t want to be in Triple-A, and that was a difficult decision and conversation,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Friday, “to his credit and not surprisingly, he’s gone there and completely sold out to what he wanted to do, to what he felt like he needed to do.”
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Pirates manager Derek Shelton said the club wanted Bednar to work on the consistency of his three pitches and that every report was positive on his delivery, effectiveness and execution at Indianapolis. Shelton said he spoke with Bednar about the experience Saturday morning, especially about not dwelling in his sorrows or wasting any days.
“Being sent down is challenging, and it scars you a little bit — and it should. That’s not a bad thing,” Shelton said. “But he went down and handled his business. … That’s why he’s back this quickly.”
Even so, Shelton refused to commit to a role for Bednar in his return despite his history of pitching the ninth inning.
“Short-term, we’re going to take it day by day,” Shelton said. “He basically became that guy by just grinding and pitching and doing those things, and that’s all we’re really asking him to do.”
After blowing seven saves last season, when his ERA ballooned from 2.00 in 2023 to 5.77, Bednar said he returns with more conviction and looking to carry momentum from his success at Indianapolis to the majors. He’s using the two-plus weeks in purgatory as fuel to his fire.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating. Nobody wants to hear that, but I think after the dust settled, the biggest thing was ultimately controlling what I could control and making the absolute most out of this situation,” Bednar said. “Frustrating at the time, but channeling it and becoming better and, in a month or two, being able to look back and say, ‘OK, I gained something from that experience’ and even more than a month or two, a couple years down the line, how that changes your perspective. I’m very excited to be back and convicted. I know what I have to do, and I’m just dialed in.”