PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates have parted ways with hitting coach Rick Eckstein, the club announced on Monday.

Eckstein served the Pirates as their hitting coach since the end of the 2018 season, when he succeeded Jeff Branson ('13-18). Pittsburgh has not named an interim coach to replace Eckstein, who came to the organization after serving as the Twins’ Minor League hitting coordinator.

“We are grateful for Rick’s dedication to the team and our players,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. “This was a difficult decision, as we have a great deal of respect for Rick. Making the decision now gives us the opportunity to use the rest of the season to focus on improvements in our hitting program while also starting the process of looking for a replacement. We wish Rick all the best moving forward.”

"The thing I want to say, first and foremost, is I want to thank Rick Eckstein for all of his work and his dedication to the Pirates over the last two years, when I was here and even before that," manager Derek Shelton said. “[I’m] wishing him nothing but the best moving forward."

Pittsburgh has ranked very low in offensive production categories the past two seasons under Eckstein, including an MLB-worst .665 OPS and .362 slugging percentage in 2021. Their best production numbers with Eckstein at the helm of the hitting department came in ‘19, when the Pirates produced a .741 OPS (19th in MLB), but with a lineup that featured since-traded stars like Starling Marte and Josh Bell.

Though a few players have seen a resurgence at the plate in 2021, such as Bryan Reynolds and Adam Frazier (now on the Padres), others have really scuffled, including former Top 100 prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes (.687 OPS) and Kevin Newman (.562 OPS).

However, Shelton -- who said it was ultimately his decision to dismiss Eckstein -- made it clear on Monday that this move was not made due to individual stats.

“It’s not anything specific to results this year with a specific hitter or the team,” Shelton said. “It’s just about how we’re going to grow our hitting group and the leadership of that moving forward.”

A few of the areas Shelton brought up in which the club hopes to shift and grow are practice design, learning and approach-based instruction. But if it is not about performance, why part ways in the middle of a tough season for the Pirates?

“We just felt that once we decided this, it was better to do it now rather than wait until the end of the year,” Shelton said, “because we had come up with a plan that we were going to move forward with our hitting program with different leadership.

"Because of that, we felt it was best since we decided that now that we were going to do it immediately."

The search now begins for a new hitting coach to replace Eckstein, whom Shelton commended for his extensive relationship-building with players up and down the organizational ladder. There will not be an interim hitting coach, and the interview and hiring process will begin in the offseason.

For the moment, the hitting brain trust will be a collaboration between staff members. Among those named by Shelton are assistant hitting coach Christian Marrero, Major League assistant Tim McKeithan, Major League field coordinator Mike Rabelo and bench coach Don Kelly. Shelton, a former hitting coach, said he does not plan to be overly involved.

Shelton did not say that this process was an audition for any staff member, but he mentioned it could be a learning experience for Marrero, who was hired before the 2021 season.

“I think it gives him the opportunity to maybe look at things a little bit differently, to have some different conversations -- not only amongst the staff, but with the players -- and more of an opportunity for him to learn and grow,” Shelton said. “Then, at the end of the year, we’ll evaluate everything moving forward.”