BRADENTON, Fla. — Although the Pirates are still deciding between carrying an extra relief pitcher or position player, they now have fewer candidates for those roster spots.
The club announced Saturday morning that outfielder Jordan Luplow, catcher Jacob Stallings, relief pitcher Tyler Jones and relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez were cut from major league camp, bringing the total of active players to 33, including three non-roster invitees.
Luplow and Stallings were optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, while Jones and Rodriguez, two non-roster invitees, were reassigned to minor league camp.
Luplow, 24, was tied for the team lead with four home runs this spring and had 8 RBIs. However, the right-handed hitter had a slash line of .237/.225/.579. He had only 182 plate appearances at Triple-A before being recalled by the Pirates last July and played in only 27 major league games.
He was among three candidates to be the Pirates' starting left fielder in 2018 but the acquisition of Corey Dickerson, as well as the addition of Bryce Brentz, decreased his chances of making the opening day roster.
"... Dickerson is the one that really affected Jordan," Neal Huntington said. "As we talked this offseason, we had a comfort level between Adam [Frazier] and Jordan that we would get production out of left field. The opportunity to add a player like Corey Dickerson impacts Jordan in that he's in a tough spot that we like him so much that we want him to continue to play and want him to continue to develop. We told him we continue to see him as a quality major-league regular outfielder for years to come."
Luplow said: "I'm just going to show up and be myself every day. My goal is to be a good hitter with power. We talked about that in the meeting. That's what I'm striving to do."
With Luplow heading to Indianapolis, the Pirates' outfield in Triple-A will likely include Luplow, Austin Meadows and minor-league free agent Todd Cunningham. Luplow led the club's minor leagues last season with 23 home runs, earning the title of Minor League Player of the Year for the organization.
Brentz and Jose Osuna are now the final candidates to obtain the final spot on the bench, as long as the Pirates choose to keep 13 position players instead of 13 pitchers. Brentz, 28, went 2 for 3 with a walk in a loss to the Phillies on Friday, but he is batting .250/.362/.350 this spring with one home run and is out of minor-league options.
Osuna is batting .295/.333/.591 with four home runs and a team-high 13 RBIs, but his lack of versatility could be a deterrent. The 25-year-old is still learning third base and will only be able to play right field in certain ballparks, although he'd likely be able to play the position at PNC Park.
The Pirates will use Adam Frazier and Sean Rodriguez as backups in the three outfield spots, as well as second base and shortstop. David Freese will serve as a backup at third and first base. The Pirates could choose 13 pitchers at the start of the season since they have a three-game series in Detroit, plus players such as Luplow, Osuna and Max Moroff have the ability to be recalled from Indianapolis since each still has minor-league options. Brentz, on the other hand, would likely be lost on waivers.
"He has that ability to be the guy we talked about repeatedly, which is a good hitter with power," Huntington said of Luplow, who wasn't in major league camp last spring. "When he takes a ball out to right-center field the other day in Fort Myers, he has the ability to use the whole field with authority. He's got the ability to score runners. ... He's got a chance to be a really well-rounded baseball player that can be a good hitter with power."
Stallings, 28, batted .368/.455/.474 with two doubles in 19 at-bats this spring and will serve as the Pirates' No. 3 catcher. Veteran Ryan Lavarnway, a non-roster invitee, remains in major league camp, but the demotion of Stallings is a move to allow him to start working with the pitchers headed to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Huntington expressed confidence in Stallings' ability to contribute in the major leagues if an injury occurs to either Francisco Cervelli or Elias Diaz, noting Stallings' progress offensively, which included a career-high on-base percentage of .358 in 62 games at Triple-A last season.
Jones and Rodriguez will give the Pirates two options in Triple-A to call upon if injury or fatigue impact the bullpen in 2018. Jones, 28, allowed four earned runs, all of which came in his past two outings, in 8 2/3 innings this spring. The right-hander threw 63 2/3 innings for the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate last season, averaging 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Rodriguez, also 28, finished Grapefruit League play with a 6 1/3-scoreless-inning streak after allowing three earned runs in his first appearance this spring. The right-hander had nine strikeouts to one walk and opponents batted just .222 against him. He spent most of last season with the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings, although he allowed 9 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in the major leagues.
"The depth there is a very good thing to have," Huntington said of his bullpen options. "Part of that will be we're taking the two young starters and keeping them in our bullpen, so that will push some guys back, but we like our options in Triple-A. We like the options we have at the major-league level. We'll have some versatility, we're going to have some guys who can do some different things. The challenge now is keeping healthy, keeping them growing and developing, and keeping them effective and efficient."
