By Sean O’Reilly
May 8, 2025
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that Derek Shelton has been relieved of his duties as Pirates manager.
“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years. His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that,” said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. “He’s an incredibly smart, curious, and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter.”
“Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for a change,” said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting. “The first quarter of the season has been frustrating and painful for all of us. We have to do better. I know that. Ben knows that. Our coaches know that. Our players know that.
“There is a lot of baseball left to be played,” added Nutting. “We need to act with a sense of urgency and take the steps necessary to fix this now to get back on track as a team and organization.”
Pirates Bench Coach Don Kelly has been named manager.
“I believe strongly Donnie is the right person to manage the team right now,” said Cherington. “He has the skills and experience needed to do this job really well and deeply cares about the Pirates and Pittsburgh. I look forward to working with him even more closely.”
“Donnie is as respected as any person in our clubhouse and throughout our organization,” said Nutting. “He is a Pirate. He bleeds black and gold. No one is more committed, and no one loves this team or city more than Donnie. He is the right person to manage our team and help get us back on track.”
Don Kelly began his sixth season as Pittsburgh’s bench coach before being promoted as the team’s new manager. Prior to joining the Pirates, the Pittsburgh native spent the 2019 season serving as the first base coach for the Houston Astros.
Kelly was a versatile infielder and outfielder who played in a total of 585 games in the big leagues after originally being selected by Detroit in the eighth round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft. He made his big- league debut with the Pirates on April 2, 2007. He also appeared in the Postseason in four consecutive seasons with Detroit (2011-14), advancing to the World Series in 2012 while being managed by National Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Leyland.
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