The Pirates may opt to send Gerrit Cole back to the minors during the All-Star break, but there would be no sense of a demotion involved. According to MLB.com, the team could opt to send Cole down to keep him on regular rest, as he made his final start before the break Tuesday.

The Pirates could follow the path set by the A's, who optioned Dan Straily to Triple-A after pitching against Pittsburgh Tuesday. The idea would be to keep Cole from sitting around for too long without facing live hitters.

"Any time you have a young pitcher, you try to find the best way to keep him pitching, so you don't have him sitting for 14 days," manager Clint Hurdle said.

Cole has a 3.68 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in his first six starts, with 20 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.