PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mason Rudolph is staying with the Pittsburgh Steelers after all.

Pittsburgh signed the longtime backup quarterback to a one-year deal on Wednesday, a somewhat unlikely return after Rudolph was essentially passed over twice for the chance to become the starter following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement after the 2021 season.

The Steelers selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft and he went 5-4-1 while making intermittent starts between the 2019 and 2021 seasons, throwing for 2,366 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

While head coach Mike Tomlin and then-general manager Kevin Colbert both said they felt Rudolph could be a full-time starter in the NFL after Roethlisberger retired, the club signed Mitch Trubisky to a two-year deal in the spring of 2022, then drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft.

Rudolph spent the majority of last season as the third-string quarterback and was inactive on gamedays.

He entered the free-agent market in March but with organized team activities beginning later this month and seemingly little opportunity elsewhere in the offing, decided to come back to Pittsburgh as a security blanket of sorts behind Pickett and Trubisky.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller (23) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sunday, May 14, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

BALTIMORE (AP) — Mitch Keller struck out a career-high 13 in seven innings and the slumping Pittsburgh Pirates won for only the second time in 13 games, 4-0 over the Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates avoided a sweep after dropping the first two games of the series. Pittsburgh was 20-8 after a 16-1 win at Washington on April 29. Then the Pirates scored just 18 runs in their next 12 games. They managed four Sunday without a single extra-base hit, and that was plenty the way Keller was pitching. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who has played in every game this season, pinch-hit in the ninth and popped out to end the game.

Colorado Rockies’ Alan Trejo singles off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Rich Hill, driving in a run during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jurickson Profar hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the top of the seventh inning to lift Colorado by Pittsburgh 4-3. Less than 24 hours after homering twice in a 10-1 rout, Profar gave the Rockies their eighth win in 10 games by lacing a Robert Stephenson pitch into left field to score Austin Wynns. Alan Trejo had two hits and an RBI for Colorado. Randal Grichuk added a run-scoring double as the Rockies earned their third straight series win. Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 3 and hit his seventh home run of the season for Pittsburgh. The Pirates have dropped 9 of 10.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies in Pittsburgh, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Keller pitched his first career complete game and Rodolfo Castro hit a two-run homer as the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their seven-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Keller shut out the Rockies on four hits while striking out eight and walking one in a game that took just 1 hour, 55 minutes. The fifth-year veteran had never pitched into the eighth inning before. Castro’s homer off Kyle Freeland in the seventh carried into the bullpens in center field and broke a scoreless tie.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans cheer during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers provided quarterback Kenny Pickett with some needed protection, trading up to acquire offensive tackle Broderick Jones of Georgia with the 14th pick in the NFL draft. The Steelers sent the 17th pick and a fourth-round selection in this year’s draft to New England to move up and acquire the 6-foot-4, 311-pound Jones. Jones will likely have a chance to start immediately at left tackle, where Dan Moore Jr. had started each of the last two seasons. Moore took a step backward in 2022.

FILE – Former Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Dick Groat is shown during pregame ceremonies honoring his lifetime of service to the Pirates organization, before a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Pittsburgh, Monday, April 1, 2019. Groat, a two-sport star who went from All-American guard in basketball to a brief stint in the NBA to ultimately an All-Star shortstop and the 1960 National League MVP while playing baseball for his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, has died. He was 92. Groat’s family said in a statement that Groat died early Thursday morning, April 27, 2023, at UMPC Presbyterian Hospital due to complications from a stroke. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dick Groat, a two-sport star who went from All-American guard in basketball to a brief stint in the NBA to ultimately an All-Star shortstop and the 1960 National League MVP while playing baseball for his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, has died. He was 92. Groat’s family says in a statement that he died Thursday at UMPC Presbyterian Hospital due to complications from a stroke. Groat was an All-American in both basketball and baseball at Duke. He was drafted by the NBA’s Fort Wayne Pistons in 1952 before focusing on baseball full-time after a stint in the Army. Groat played 14 seasons in the majors, most of them with Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Roansy Contreras gave up two hits in six scoreless innings while Ji Hwan Bae and Jason Delay had three hits each in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Contreras (3-1) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before Austin Wynns broke it up with a leadoff single and Freddie Freeman singled with one out. Contreras escaped the jam and preserved a 2-0 lead by getting Jason Heyward and James Outman to fly out. Phil Bickford (0-1) took the loss.

FILE – Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds watches the flight of his solo home run off Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta during the third inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Boston. Reynolds is sticking with the Pirates. The veteran outfielder has agreed to an eight-year deal worth $106.75 million three people with knowledge of the agreement told the Associated Press. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was not official pending a physical.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Reynolds is sticking with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The veteran outfielder and the club have agreed to an eight-year deal worth $106.75 million. That’s according to three people with knowledge of the agreement who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was not official pending a physical. The contract is the richest in the history of the Pirates and gives the club another cornerstone to build around as it tries to emerge from four straight last-place finishes in the NL Central.

Third base umpire Dan Bellino, left talks briefly with Colorado Rockies third baseman Mike Moustakas as players take the field for a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Denver. Small talk has become an artifact from a past time in Major League Baseball as the pitch clock—and the penalties that can be handed out for violating the new rules that have come with it—has reduced socialization on the diamond. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DENVER (AP) — The pitch clock hasn’t just made baseball quicker. It’s quieter now, too. Players are finding that there’s no time for small talk amid Major League Baseball’s new pace-of-play initiative. The pitch clock’s 15 seconds — 20 when someone’s on base — goes by fast at the plate. The penalty for idle chatter could be stiff, with a called strike on the hitter. Social hour just has to wait. Same way on the bases. There’s no real chance to talk shop on the field with former teammates, good friends or even the umpires working the game.