PITTSBURGH — On Tuesday afternoon, with just six games remaining, the Pirates announced that they had designated first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment.

Signed to a one-year, $3.2 million deal last offseason, he was set free with 421 plate appearances on the year — just short of a goal with a big payday. Tellez exited Pittsburgh four plate appearances shy of a $200,000 bonus, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed with multiple sources.

Both Pirates manager Derek Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington were asked of Tellez’s exit Tuesday afternoon, prior to the club’s 6:40 p.m. contest against the Brewers. Both expressed that the pending bonus played no factor in their decision to designate the first baseman for assignment.

“It did not factor into the decision at all,” Shelton said. “It came down to when the minor league season ended and these guys getting here. That’s what factored into the decision the most."

“Zero factor in the decision,” Cherington echoed. “Aware of it, certainly. I’m aware of the contracts that all players have. No factor at all, zero. And, no, I’m not concerned. If you’re asking about optics going forward and how it affects business and things like that, no. Contracts are negotiated in good faith. Then they live out. We feel like we gave Rowdy lots of opportunity here this year. To his credit, he fought through some difficult times earlier in the year and fought his way out of it. Had periods of success and periods of frustration. This is just where we got to in the season. Had nothing to do with where the plate appearances were lining up.”

Shelton and Cherington were both asked about those optics about Tellez’s situation. The two both voiced little concern that the decision will paint the Pirates in a negative light heading into the offseason.

“These things are unfortunately a difficult part of the business,” Cherington said. “You have to have these conversations about releasing players. I’ve never experienced that affecting anything going forward. ... We’ll have time to get into the offseason and get into offseason planning. But I don’t anticipate any issue from it.”

Cherington also said he didn’t expect the decision to have a negative impact within the clubhouse.

“Guys understand where we are,” Cherington said. “In the old days of expanded rosters, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation. But there are 28 spots, and 14 are going to go to position players. We feel like we have to get the 14 guys on the team, wherever we can, who have the best chance to contribute past this year. I think our players understand that. Doesn’t mean it’s easy. Players have relationships. ... I think you can be appreciative of who those guys are and respectful and be a good teammate to them … and also understand that this is a part of the game. It does happen. It’s one of those things where I think two things can be true at the same time.”

Tellez played in 132 games for the Pirates this season, slashing .243/.299/.392 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs.

In addition to Tellez, outfielder Michael A. Taylor was also designated for assignment. Cherington said Taylor, unlike Tellez, was not on track for any additional performance bonuses.

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