Pirates making right decision on Paul Skenes despite team falling out of playoff contention

The Pittsburgh Pirates may not be playoff bound, but don't count Paul Skenes out of the National League Rookie of the Year race just yet.

The 22-year-old pitching phenom once again showcased the dominance we have now come to expect of him in Thursday's 7-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds, racking up nine strikeouts and giving up just two hits on 87 pitches over six scoreless innings of work. His latest dazzling performance brought his record to 8-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.16 on the season.

Skenes' sparkling ERA would lead all MLB starters if he had pitched enough innings to qualify for consideration. Indeed, the right-hander has been so dominant that sometimes it's easy to forget that he didn't even get his first taste of MLB action until May.

Skenes now finds himself in uncharted territory in terms of innings pitched, and the Pirates have effectively eliminated themselves from the postseason race. They will not be playing meaningful September baseball, which has sparked plenty of questions about whether they would shut Skenes down now that his arm can no longer move the needle much in their pursuit of a playoff spot. But manager Derek Shelton gave a promising update on Skenes' projected workload after Thursday's game, indicating that it was far from the last time we would see him toe the rubber this season.

"He will not pitch on regular rest the rest of the year. I can almost assure you of that," Shelton said,via Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I don't say things in a definite very much, but I can say it's 95% he will not throw on a regular four-day rest."

Pirates making right decision on Paul Skenes despite team falling out of playoff contention

Skenes has already been pitching on five or six days' rest, rather than the traditional four days, so we may not see a substantial change in how the Pirates continue to use him through September. Critics may say that allowing Skenes to continue pitching meaningless baseball games isn't worth the wear and tear or the risk of injury, but this approach – a workload limitation, rather than a full shutdown – is absolutely the right course of action.

Sure, keeping Skenes active down the stretch helps his chances in the NL Rookie of the Year race, but that is probably the furthest thing from Shelton's – and Skenes' – mind. What is far more important here is that Skenes learns how to handle the increased workload that comes with pitching at the professional level. Pitching in September is a part of that.

The Pirates may not be playing for a postseason berth anymore, but that doesn't render the rest of their season worthless. Now, they're playing for 2025, which means young players like Skenes have a valuable opportunity to continue their development against major league talent in a low-pressure environment. If the Pirates plan to rely on Skenes as a key cog in their starting rotation in 2025 and beyond, why wouldn't they give him that opportunity?

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