We'll never pass along your email address to spammers, scammers, or the like.Since joining the Pirates, he has continued to pitch well. Merely being placed on an injured list without further explanation is not confirmation that a player has tested positive for COVID-19. Latest on Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Keone Kela including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN We are honored and humbled to have Keone apart of … Foundation partner Rey Adames Interviews Star MLB Reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates Keone Kela over Instagram live. “I'm pretty sure we won't go with one certain person. The 27-year-old right-hander has pitched in high-leverage spots before as a setup man, and despite his struggles last season, he struck out 61 batters.As long as Kela remains on the injured list, Shelton said, the Pirates won’t name a designated closer in his place.The Pirates still believe in the potential of Feliz, the 27-year-old right-hander who came to Pittsburgh in the Gerrit Cole deal, and they’re intrigued by what he did over the final four months a year ago. The club has said it cannot disclose the reason for Kela's absence, and manager Derek Shelton reiterated Friday afternoon that he can’t share anything about Kela’s status.“I think we will probably play the leverage of the situation,” Shelton said. Part of this meeting was Shelton officially naming Kela the team’s closer.His number with the Pirates would be even better if not for injury. Shelton named the 27-year-old right-hander the team's closer after its first Spring Training workout, believing Kela earned the title after posting a 2.12 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings during an injury-shortened 2019 season. Following an ill-fated outing as the Bucs' opener against the Dodgers last May 24, Feliz recorded a 2.84 ERA with 57 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .201/.289/.409 slash line in 44 1/3 innings over 46 appearances. … We’ll probably just play by what we feel is the best guy for each situation.”PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates placed closer Keone Kela on the injured list on Thursday, a source confirmed to MLB.com on Friday, making it likely that Pittsburgh's top reliever will not be available for the start of the season. In these 35.2 innings Kela logged 24 saves.Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Feliz was also prone to home runs, though, giving up nine during that stretch and 11 overall last season.Kela has not been able to participate in any of the Pirates' Summer Camp workouts this month. This season, the 26-year-old has tossed 11.2 innings and registered a 4.63 ERA. At Pirate Fest last month, new Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington would not commit to Keone Kela being the team’s closer in 2020. According to MLB’s 2020 Operations Manual, there is no minimum or maximum length of placement on the COVID-19 related IL.Rodríguez struggled to keep the ball in the park early last season but recovered well enough, recording a 3.72 ERA in 65 1/3 innings over 72 appearances. Keone Kela is an American professional baseball player who plays in the Major Baseball League (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates as their Relief Pitcher.Kela reportedly earns around $3,175,000 as his yearly salary from Pittsburgh Pirates.