It's hardly a secret that the Pirates have heavily leaned into using openers over the past month, partially out of necessity. Injuries have thinned the rotation and workloads are being monitored, so it's a way to manage innings and play matchups.
So while this opener renaissance is mostly bore out of necessity, it likely won't go completely away in 2024, even if it is, ideally, slowed down.
"When we’re closer to the team that we want to be and winning more games, more than likely, we’re gonna have fewer days where we are using openers, matching up in different ways early in the game.