The Pittsburgh Pirates designated first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment on Tuesday, a move that saved the team $200,000 in a performance bonus he just missed reaching.
Tellez was due the bonus if he received 425 plate appearances this season, and he had 421.
The Pirates, already eliminated from postseason contention, started the day with six games remaining in their season.
Tellez had signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract in the offseason with several incentives triggered by plate appearances, a potential All-Star selection and postseason awards.
“It did not factor into the decision at all,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of the decision before the team lost 7-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers. “It came down to when the minor league season ended and these guys getting here. That’s what factored into the decision the most.”
Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington also defended the timing, saying the bonus was “zero factor in the decision.”
“Aware of it, certainly. I’m aware of the contracts that all players have,” Cherington said. “No factor at all, zero. And, no, I’m not concerned. If you’re asking about optics going forward and how it affects business and things like that, no. Contracts are negotiated in good faith. Then they live out.
“We feel like we gave Rowdy lots of opportunity here this year. To his credit, he fought through some difficult times earlier in the year and fought his way out of it. Had periods of success and periods of frustration. This is just where we got to in the season. Had nothing to do with where the plate appearances were lining up.”
Tellez, 29, hit 13 home runs and drove in 56 runs while hitting .243 in 131 games.
The Pirates also designated veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor for assignment and recalled outfielder Joshua Palacios and infielder Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
Taylor, unlike Tellez, was not approaching any performance bonuses. Cherington said cutting players is a difficult part of the business, but he doesn’t anticipate any issues within the team because of the timing of Tellez’s release.
“Guys understand where we are,” Cherington said. “In the old days of expanded rosters, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation. But there are 28 spots, and 14 are going to go to position players. We feel like we have to get the 14 guys on the team, wherever we can, who have the best chance to contribute past this year. I think our players understand that.
“Doesn’t mean it’s easy. Players have relationships. I think you can be appreciative of who those guys are and respectful and be a good teammate to them … and also understand that this is a part of the game. It does happen. It’s one of those things where I think two things can be true at the same time.”
Tellez has hit .234 with 105 home runs and 319 RBIs over seven seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays (2018-21), Milwaukee (2021-23) and Pittsburgh, spanning 664 games.
Taylor, 33, signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in the offseason and hit .193 with five home runs, 21 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 113 games.
In 11 seasons with the Washington Nationals (2014-20), Kansas City Royals (2021-22), Minnesota Twins (2023) and Pirates, Taylor has hit .235 with 100 home runs, 120 stolen bases and 353 RBIs in 1,082 games.
Palacios, 29, has hit .230 with two homers and seven RBIs in 20 games with Pittsburgh this season.
A fourth-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016, Palacios has spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the Blue Jays (2021), Nationals (2022) and Pirates (2023-present) and has hit .231 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in 153 games.
Peguero, 23, has played in 60 games with the Pirates since 2022, hitting .239 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs.
He hit .257 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs in 128 games at Indianapolis this season. He led all Pittsburgh minor leaguers in RBIs, doubles (29) and hits (127) and tied for second with 46 extra-base hits. In six seasons in the minors, Peguero has hit .268 with 56 home runs and 280 RBIs in 516 games.
