Pirates reliever Kirby Yates makes heartbreaking admission about his baseball future

Of the myriad relievers the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired at the trade deadline, Kirby Yates generated the least buzz. A two-time All-Star who once led the league in saves, the 39-year-old certainly has a big profile, but Father Time has slowed him down a lot in recent seasons.

However, he defied the aging curve upon arriving in the Steel City, pitching to a 2.19 ERA across 13 appearances out of the bullpen. There were certainly flaws hidden beneath the surface — his strikeout and groundball rates both rapidly declined following the trade — but Pirates fans aren't wont to look a gift reliever in the mouth.

Alas, the reality of being a 39-year-old pitcher hit Yates once again earlier this month; for the fifth time in the past two years, he hit the injured list, this time with a shoulder injury. The current indication is that he plans to return before the end of the season, but that may be the last we see of the right-hander after an impressive 12-year career.

Kirby Yates knows retirement is near, but he still wants to make one last stand with Pirates

Though his impact has been muted by this most recent injury, Yates played an instrumental role in rescuing the Pirates' bullpen from the depths of despair. After blowing countless leads in the first half, that much-maligned relief corps has actually been one of the best in baseball since the All-Star break, ranking 10th in ERA (3.51), fourth in innings pitched (225.1), second in strikeouts (242), and first in fWAR (4.4).

Unfortunately, Yates hasn't been able to contribute to that success in September. Shoulder injuries are no easy thing to come back from in a short period of time, especially for a reliever with more than 500 games of toll on their arm. As such, he's facing the reality of what could be the last month of his career.

“Last year, [retirement] became a real conversation," Yates told Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com. "I guess you face the facts that nobody plays this game forever.”

Again, both the player and team have confirmed that the plan is to activate Yates at some point in the near future, before the regular season ends. However, with the Bucs falling by the wayside in the NL Wild Card race, that may yield just a couple of appearances out of the bullpen.

But before anyone feels too bad for Yates, know that he's gearing up to make his retirement decision not because of his body, but his family: “They [my kids] want Dad home as much as they possibly can.” Yates said. “So, as a father, when you hear that it kind of gets you pretty good in the heart. And there's decisions to make here in the near future. I'm pretty positive in what I'm gonna do.”

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