The Pirates announced on Thursday afternoon that they have relieved Manager Derek Shelton of his duties after five years.

"Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years," said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. "His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that. 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." 

With Shelton relieved, the Pirates announced that Bench Coach Don Kelly has been named manager. 

"I believe strongly Donnie is the right person to manage the team right now," Cherington added. "He has the skills and experience needed to do this job really well and deeply cares about the Pirates and Pittsburgh." 

Kelly is in his sixth season a Pittsburgh's bench coach. Prior to joining the Pirates, the Pittsburgh native was the Houston Astros' first base coach in 2019. 

"Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for a change," Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting said. "There is a lot of baseball left to be played. 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." 

In November 2019, the Pirates announced they had hired Shelton as the manager after he spent two seasons with the Minnesota Twins as a bench coach.