PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have suspended reliever Keone Kela two games for an unspecified violation of his contract.
The team made the announcement on Monday shortly before opening a four-game series with St. Louis. The suspension came after the team activated Kela from the 60-day injured list. Kela went on the injured list on May 6 with right shoulder discomfort. He completed a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis over the weekend, allowing five runs in 3 1/3 innings across four appearances with the Indians.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said over the weekend the team anticipated getting Kela — acquired in a deal with the Texas Rangers at last year’s trade deadline — back in the bullpen on Monday. Hurdle, however, demurred on Monday when asked about Kela’s availability, saying only that the team was still in the process of evaluating Kela’s status.
Kela is 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA in 14 games with the Pirates this season.