The Pirates may shift Gerrit Cole to the bullpen in September and October. "Possibly later," manager Clint Hurdle said when asked about a potential shift. The Pirates could use a four-man rotation of Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett, Jeff Locke and Wandy Rodriguez (if he's healthy) in the playoffs, putting Cole into the bullpen for the first time in four years. The rookie Cole is open to the potential shift, though Pittsburgh hasn't yet solidified its plans. "That's really a conversation that doesn't really have any legs at this time whatsoever," Hurdle said. "It's more of a thought that's popped over a couple heads, but there hasn't been any lengthy conversation." Cole has thrown a career-high 134 innings this year between the majors and minors, topping the 132 frames he tossed last season. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has Cole on an undisclosed pitch count, but wants the rookie available in the postseason, a plan differing from Washington's use of Stephen Strasburg last year.