Yates fights through recurring injuries as retirement question looms

This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- Father Time is undefeated. At 39 years old, Pirates reliever Kirby Yates is learning that the hard way.

Yates is on his fifth injured list stint in the last two seasons. The two-time All-Star is on the eighth different team of his 12-year career, and his third in the last two years. While Yates was thriving with a 2.19 ERA in 13 appearances in Pittsburgh, Father Time is close to bringing his impressive career to an end.

“Not knowing, initially, the uncertainty of it, and wondering if I've thrown my last pitch this year and things like that, dealing with that mentally, and honestly, just being bummed out, just being sad, is what it boils down to,” Yates told MLB.com.

“I wouldn't say it's frustration or anything in the past. It's just kind of sadness. Being bummed that you can't go help, and I've been on the IL a lot here in the last two years, and it's not fun. I really don't enjoy it at all. I come here to help the team. I come here to play. Not being able to do that, it's not fun for me.”

Yates doesn’t think his shoulder injury is too serious, and he’s hoping to have a minimal stint on the injured list, which would make him eligible to return on Sept. 15 to open the Pirates' final homestand. It’s his first shoulder injury in a decade, as most of his recent injuries have been to the lower body.

Yates threw 35 pitches in San Diego on Aug. 26, as his final at-bat turned into an 11-pitch duel. He threw eight pitches in St. Louis four days later and felt fine but a little sluggish. When warming up in extra innings on Sept. 2, Yates didn’t feel great. He came to the ballpark the next day, when his shoulder felt “cranky,” and he was placed on the IL.

Yates has made a career out of changing speeds and keeping hitters off balance. He debuted with the Rays at 27 years old and climbed to lead the league in saves a few years later with the Padres. At this point, he’s a seasoned veteran and has brought that presence to a young bullpen.

“Very crafty,” Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy said. “It's a unique arm angle, and he still has a good fastball, and the split finger now isn't as hard as it used to be, but it's still enough to pitch at the Major League level.”

Yates hasn’t changed much on the mound, adjusting to miss barrels with a little less velocity. His experience has helped him “see things” and have a feel for how at-bats are transpiring with the hitters' tendencies.

But the older he gets, the more difficult it is to succeed.

Yates has altered his routine compared to the past to keep his energy levels high. He no longer works out before games, moving to postgame instead for better recovery.

“You do the best you can,” Yates said. “You’ve got to listen to your body. There's new things that randomly pop up every day as you get older.”

At this juncture of Yates’ career, all that’s left to play for is a World Series ring. Yates was on the Dodgers for last year’s World Series but not on the active roster after a hamstring strain in September. He’s not ready to say this is it quite yet, but he knows the end is near.

“Last year it became a real conversation,” Yates said. “I guess you face the facts that nobody plays this game forever.”

A key factor in Yates’ decision is his kids. His eight-year-old son is beginning to get into baseball, and Yates likes to bring him into the clubhouse as he starts to break out of his shell. Soon, the moments in the clubhouse will become memories.

“They want Dad home as much as they possibly can. 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,” 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.”