Ben Cherington said yesterday that, when they're ready, both David Bednar and an injured Colin Holderman will fit "right in the middle" of the bullpen mix upon their return to the active roster. 

For Bednar, that day has come. 

After throwing five scoreless innings over five appearances at Class AAA Indianapolis, the two-time All-Star closer has returned to the big leagues two and a half weeks after being optioned at the beginning of the month. 

"Definitely, at first, I think I was a little bit surprised, but I felt like I was in a good spot at the time," said Bednar, who struggled in allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks in one inning over three big-league appearances during the season-opening series in Miami. "These past couple weeks, getting to work with the pitching coaches down there, really just kind of 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." 

A corresponding move has yet to be announced, but Bednar is eager to be back in a Pirates uniform, saying he's going to be ready whenever the bullpen phone rings. But this opportunity wasn't just handed to him. Instead of sulking and feeling bad for himself upon receiving the news of his demotion, he worked to check off some boxes and get himself back on track. 

"It's just go down there and attacking guys and being aggressive with all my stuff, and I felt like I was able to do that effectively down there," Bednar said. "Looking to carry that momentum here. I feel really good and I'm really convicted in what I'm doing. I'm excited to be back."

Specifically, Bednar was tasked with working on the consistency of all three of his pitches -- fastball, curveball and splitter. He struggled with that throughout last season and, according to Derek Shelton, he accomplished what he needed to in a short minor-league sample in which he allowed one hit, didn't walk a batter and struck out seven. 

"He was very effective. He was able to execute pitches, his delivery is in a good spot," Shelton said. "Every report we got on him was positive. It's really nice to have him back."

Now, Bednar is slated to rejoin a bullpen that has thrived so far this season. They rank 13th among teams in Major League Baseball in bullpen ERA (3.62) and were ninth heading into the weekend before five earned runs were charged to Kyle Nicolas last night. 

“The boys have been throwing the ball well, which is really no surprise," Bednar said. "I know when I’m doing what I need to do, I’m going to be a big part of that. I’m just happy to rejoin these guys and continue on that roll.” 

Here’s Bednar's full five-minute session: