Kirby Yates is nearing a decision that could bring his 12-year Major League Baseball career to an end. The 39-year-old reliever, currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is considering retiring after the 2026 season, he told MLB.com. The decision comes as Yates deals with another injury and weighs the demands of continuing his career against spending more time with his family.
Yates' eldest child is 8, a factor that will weigh heavily on his thinking, he told MLB.com. "They want Dad home as much as they possibly can," he told Aiden Stepansky. "So, I think we're getting to a point where we've had conversations before; it kind of hits you different when they tell you they'd rather have you home.
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.” More news: Blue Jays Cut 7-Year Veteran, Promote Rudy Martin Jr. for MLB Debut Yates is currently dealing with a right shoulder injury, his fifth IL stint over the past two seasons.
He had been effective after joining Pittsburgh in an Aug. 3 trade with the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 2.19 ERA in 13 appearances. The shoulder issue, however, has interrupted his latest opportunity to contribute to a team chasing a postseason berth. The Pirates began the weekend with a 4.5-game deficit in the National League wild-card race, needing to leapfrog two teams in less than three weeks.
The shoulder injury is the latest in a string of physical setbacks for Yates, who spent the first part of the 2026 season with the Angels after signing a one-year, $5 million contract. He began the year on the injured list because of left knee inflammation and went 0-5 with a 3.95 ERA and three saves in 31 games before the trade. More news: Shohei Ohtani’s Stop-Start September Bad for Fans, Smart For Dodgers Despite the recent injuries, Yates has been overwhelmingly productive when available since his 2014 debut.
He finished the 2025 regular season on the IL with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which ended in a World Series championship. That season followed an All-Star 2024 campaign with the Texas Rangers in which the right-hander posted a 1.17 ERA and recorded 33 saves. Yates has made 516 MLB appearances, compiling a 3.36 career ERA and 101 saves.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
