With Opening Day in Cincinnati only three days away, the Pittsburgh Pirates continued cutting down the active roster in search of the 26-man squad set to depart north from Bradenton.
On Monday, the Bucs made four roster moves to trim the number of players remaining in big league camp to 32. Infielder Mark Mathias was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a somewhat head-turning move. Acquired from the Texas Rangers on March 8 for a player to be named later, the 28-year-old Mathias totaled seven hits in 28 at-bats (.250 avg), scoring four runs, drove in five, and stole two bases.