The Pirates designated Heaney for assignment Tuesday.
Heaney was demoted to the bullpen earlier this month and will now lose his spot on the 40-man roster one day after allowing five earned runs while recording just two outs in a relief appearance in St. Louis. The veteran southpaw maintained a 3.33 ERA in his first 14 starts this season, so he could land on his feet somewhere, but Heaney's $5.25 million salary means he'll likely pass through waivers first before electing free agency.