The team fired manager Derek Shelton, it announced Thursday. Bench coach Don Kelly will step in as manager.

“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years. His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that,” general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement .

“He’s an incredibly smart, curious, and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter.”

Pittsburgh is currently riding a seven-game losing streak.

Shelton was hired in November 2019 and led the team for the past five seasons, missing the playoffs each time.

“Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for a change,” said team chairman Bob Nutting. “The first quarter of the season has been frustrating and painful for all of us. We have to do better.”

The 54-year-old spent the 2017 season as the Toronto Blue Jays quality control coach before becoming the Minnesota Twins’ hitting coach for two years.

Kelly, 45, played 584 career games as a utility player from 2007 through 2016.

The Pittsburgh native joined the Pirates alongside Shelton as his bench coach in 2020 after spending one year as first-base coach for the Houston Astros.