MILWAUKEE — Keone Kela, the reliever acquired at the non-waiver trade deadline, won't pitch for the Pirates again in 2018 because of his workload this season, Neal Huntington announced Saturday afternoon.
The 25-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched since Sept. 3 and has totaled 52 innings this season, 15 1/3 since the trade; however, Huntington cited Kela's high-leverage innings as the reason for the club's decision to shut him down.
Kela saved 24 games for the Rangers and pitched 14 times for the Pirates last month, all in the seventh inning or later. All but seven of his 54 appearances this season came in the seventh inning or later with the score tied or his team leading.
"To ensure an optimal amount of rest and recovery to be ready in spring training 2019, we have decided not to have Keone pitch competitively for the remainder of the 2018 season," Huntington said in a statement. "This was primarily based on his high-leverage workload this year compared to the previous two seasons. We look forward to having Keone as a one [sic] of our core relief pitchers for years to come."
The Pirates gave up lefty starting pitcher Taylor Hearn, a hard-throwing prospect initially acquired along with Felipe Vazquez in the Mark Melanco trade in 2016, as well as minor-league infielder Sherten Apostel to fortify their bullpen with Kela. He allowed one run over his first 14 innings with the Pirates, striking out 21 with five walks, before he blew a two-run lead against the Braves on Sept. 1.
Shutting Kela down could help protect their investment, as he's under contract through 2020. After all, the Rangers gave Kela a break during spring training this season because of recurring soreness in his throwing shoulder. He went on the disabled list twice last season, missing 43 games, because of the same shoulder and had stem cell therapy in the offseason, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Kela also missed 76 games in 2016 because of a elbow impingement, and he pitched fewer than 40 innings in both 2016 and 2017. That, in addition to this being his first season as a closer, could cause some concern, though he'd rank fourth among Pirates relievers in innings. Kela will likely receive a substantial raise through arbitration this offseason given his saves with the Rangers.
He made $1.2 million this season, his third full year in the major leagues. He became the Rangers’ closer this season and averaged 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings with a 1.09 WHIP. The Pirates, 72-74 and eight games back in the wild-card race, will use Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez in high-leverage situations the rest of the season.
"At the end of the day, we figured we're in a good place, there's been a good push," Clint Hurdle said. "Enough has been accomplished. We want to make sure we keep him as one of our core guys going into next year."