Pittsburgh Pirates: Shelton Gives us an Answer on Where Bednar has Been

If anyone was wondering why the Mars native David Bednar has been M.I.A. for a little while, manager Derek Shelton has answered the question. In Shelton’s press conference following a 6-2 defeat on Sunday, the skipper said Bednar has been experiencing “right side discomfort,” and the Pirates are taking it cautiously with his usage.

Bednar, for all intents and purposes, is the Pirates’ best bullpen arm they have and is considered by most to be the Pirates closer. Bednars’ curveball has made strides to go along with a good splitter and 4-seam, which has led him to a 0.83 ERA in his last 32.2 innings pitched while striking out 39.

The discomfort Shelton mentioned doesn’t seem to be a huge issue as of yet, seeing that Bednar has yet to be placed on the IL. This could just be a precautionary thing and a wait-and-see approach from the Pirates staff.