Rowdy Telles lost his job and with it, a huge paycheck.
The Pirates designated the first baseman for assignment on Tuesday with just a few days left in the 2024 MLB season.
Telles signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract with Pittsburgh in December that included a number of incentives, including a $200,000 bonus if he reached 425 at-bats this season. According to Spotrac.
To make matters worse, Telles had 421 at-bats this year, but fell just four short of earning the bonus.
The 29-year-old Telles struggled through the first two months of the season, batting just .177 with one home run through May.
Though he showed some improvement over the summer, Telles overall batted .243/.299/.392 with just 13 home runs and didn't contribute much defensively or on the bases.
Telles spent the first three-plus years of his MLB career with the Blue Jays before being dealt to the Brewers at the 2021 trade deadline.
He played for Milwaukee until the end of last year before being un-tendered by the team in the offseason.
The Pirates also designated Michael A. Taylor, who batted .193 in 113 games this season, for designated waivers on Tuesday.
The veteran outfielder lost playing time after O'Neill Cruz was moved from shortstop to center field in late August.
With six games remaining, Pittsburgh is 73-83, 13.5 games out of the National League wild-card zone and will miss the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
