Paul Skenes’ next start delayed to ‘give him a few more days to recover’ as Pirates’ playoff hopes fade

Pittsburgh Pirates ace and reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes will receive extra rest ahead of his next start. The decision, which manager Don Kelly said is not related to injury, comes as the Pirates continue to see their playoff hopes dwindle and Skenes continues to labor through a 2026 season that thus far has not been up to his standards. 

Paul Skenes

PIT • SP • #30

ERA3.88

WHIP1.12

IP134.2

BB37

K166

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Skenes had been scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale against the Red Sox, but instead, his next start will be pushed back to Wednesday against the Tigers. 

“He was ready to go,” Kelly said on Saturday, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Feel like it will give him a few more days to recover. And also, as we go through that, give other guys on the back side an extra day, as well.”

Skenes, for his part, said he’s OK with the decision.

“We had talked about it when I showed up to the field today. I threw my bullpen and everything yesterday, and was fully anticipating starting tomorrow,” Skenes said, via MLB.com. “So, we talked about it when I showed up at the field. Ultimately, it was Donny’s decision, but we had talked about it. And like I said after the last start, I’ll have his back on whatever that is. I don’t necessarily disagree with the decision either.”

The move comes just days after Skenes was pulled from his start against the Marlins after just 65 pitches and five innings, during which he allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out four. For the first time in his MLB career, he did not throw a single pitch at least 97 mph.

While Skenes has hardly been a liability this season — he has an FIP of 2.99 and the fifth-best K/BB ratio among NL qualifiers — he’s been far from the frontline force who, coming into the 2026 season, boasted a 1.96 ERA through the first 55 starts of his MLB career. At the same time, Skenes has seen his average fastball velocity dip from 98.2 mph in 2025 to 96.8 mph this year.

“It certainly can’t hurt in terms of recovery, and you add recovery in for anybody and that’s going to help,” Skenes said on Saturday. “So I kind of wish it weren’t the case, that I was starting tomorrow, because that’s something I pride myself on. But in the long run, it’s definitely best to just get some recovery time.”

RHP Lake Bachar will start against the Red Sox on Sunday instead.

As for the Pirates, they angled to contend in 2026 and this past offseason invested in the roster at uncommon levels, at least by the low standards of owner Bob Nutting. For much of the season to date, the Pirates were in or very close to playoff position. However, they go into Sunday’s game against Boston with a 60-65 record and in last place in the NL Central. On the wild-card front, the Pirates are 6 ½ games out of the third and final spot and behind five teams in the queue. All of that is why SportsLine right now gives the Pirates a mere 6.3% chance of making the postseason for the first time since 2015.