has made 23 starts for the Pirates this season, but manager told reporters (including ) today that Heaney will be utilized out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. The news creates an immediate vacancy in the Bucs rotation, as Heaney was slated to start Sundays game against the Cubs. Just to quell any immediate speculation, Hiles in a follow-up me sage that star prospect wont be called up to take Heaneys spot. Chandler is scheduled to start for Triple-A Indianapolis today, and fellow prospect just pitched on Wednesday, so he doesnt have enough rest to be ready for another start tomorrow. Turning to Triple-A pitchers already on the 40-man roster, just pitched yesterday, and is on Indianapolis injured list. It is po sible the Pirates could just use a bullpen game tomorrow, with the likeliest candidate to soak up the majority of innings. However Pittsburgh decides to ultimately fill the rotation spot, it is noteworthy in its own right that Heaney is headed to the pen. Heaney has posted a 4.99 ERA over 119 innings, with lackluster pretty much acro s Brendon Little Jersey the board except for a decent 7.4% walk rate. The long ball has once again been a problem for Heaney, as only four pitchers in all of baseball have allowed more homers than the left-handers 24 big flies. After being a very adept strikeout pitcher earlier in his career, Heaneys strikeout rates were middling in 2023-24 and have now plummeted to just 16.1% this year. The Bucs inked Heaney to last winter, and the thinking behind the signing was that the southpaw would be a veteran bridge for the rotation until some of the younger minor league arms were ready for prime time in the latter half of the season. This tactic a sumed that Heaney wouldve been dealt at the trade deadline, though the Yankees were the only team to Heaneys market, and ultimately the southpaw stayed put since Pittsburgh apparently couldnt find an acceptable offer. The move to the pen will have an impact on Heaneys wallet, as his contract contains up to $750K in incentive bonuses related to his innings totals. Hell receive an extra $50K for pitching at least 120 innings, a $100K bonus for hitting 130 innings, plus an extra $150K for the 140, 150, 160, and 170-inning thresholds. The 120-inning bonus is a lock and 130 innings seems plausible, though the higher bonuses will be harder to achieve with a more limited relief workload. Between Heaneys lack of production and the fact that the Bucs never saw him as a long-term option, there are plenty of legitimate baseball reasons behind the southpaws removal from the rotation. However, given the Pirates notoriously tight budget, the financial element to Heaneys role change cant be ignored. It was just last season that was in late September when he was just four plate appearances shy of unlocking a $200K bonus from his Pirates contract. Heaney has mostly worked as a starter during his 12 MLB seasons, but he has made his share of bullpen appearances and worked as a swingman. Posting some good numbers as a reliever might help him finish 2025 on a high note, and perhaps give him another way of promoting himself in free agency. It seems likely that Heaney would prefer a starting job if he can find it, but working as an innings-eating reliever or as a swingman could help open up his market to teams wary about his recent results as a starter. Pat Hentgen Jersey