BRADENTON, Fla. -- The ball hadn’t even landed in the right fielder’s glove on Field 2 at the Pirate City complex when Justin Meccage shouted from next to the dugout, “One more batter!” That was a good sign for Chad Kuhl.

Kuhl pitched two quick innings in an intrasquad Minor League game on Tuesday at Pirate City -- the second one going so quickly, in fact, that Kuhl took advantage of the relaxed back-field rules by recording four outs just to reach his allotted pitch count. Kuhl threw 32 pitches, 21 of them for strikes, and unleashed his whole arsenal for the first time this spring: fastballs, sliders, curveballs and changeups.

“I felt really good,” Kuhl said afterward. “I was able to work on a lot of things we’ve been working on in the bullpen.”

Kuhl faced a lineup of Pittsburgh prospects who are in camp, but not yet playing in Minor League Spring Training games. He gave up two singles, walked a batter and struck out three of the nine hitters he faced. He pitched to non-roster catcher Andrew Susac, who made a strong throw from his knees to cut down a runner attempting to steal second base.

Kuhl was particularly encouraged by his second inning of work. He struck out the first batter he faced, then recorded a groundout to shortstop and a harmless flyout to right. After Meccage extended the inning with one more batter, Kuhl put together the kind of pitch sequence that left him smiling afterward: a first-pitch slider for a called strike, a well-located four-seam fastball down and away for a called strike, then a high four-seam fastball for a swing-and-miss strike three.

“Every pitch was executed perfectly. It’s just one of those things where everything’s synced up and you start to want some more,” Kuhl said. “That’s when you want another one. You’re like, ‘Boom-boom-boom, all right, I’ve got it. Here we go.’ You’re kind of begging for more hitters to come up there because you’re starting to get back in that rhythm of getting the ball back, pitching, getting the ball back, pitching. You want another inning after that.”

While rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last year, Kuhl talked to Pirates pitcher Clay Holmes -- another Tommy John survivor -- about the difficulty of getting out of what he called a “rehab mindset,” a more cautious approach to pitching in which he worries more about his mechanics than his opponents.

The second inning Kuhl pitched on Tuesday was particularly encouraging from that perspective, he said. He could tell a difference in the way he felt during and after this outing compared to his two-inning simulated game on Feb. 23.

“Everything felt good,” Kuhl said. “Just taking it day by day, not trying to push anything or rush anything. Getting away from the rehab mindset, getting back to just playing ball and getting back to baseball as usual.”

For now, Kuhl is set up to pitch every fifth day and add an inning to his workload each time out. He’s on a normal starter’s routine, in other words, even if this deliberate build-up makes it hard to see how he might be ready to join the Pirates’ rotation by Opening Day. But Kuhl is quick to remind that he’s preparing for more than just a couple outings at the beginning of the season.

“I’m not sure what the plan is. Just the whole scope of this lasts so much beyond this year, so that’s the main goal,” Kuhl said. “If I’m ready for Opening Day, whatever role that is, great. But we’re looking at this year. We’re looking beyond this year. We’re looking at the whole scope of my career. In talks with [general manager Ben Cherington] and [manager Derek Shelton], they’ve been super great about having that be their interest.”

Roster move
After sending 11 players to Minor League camp on Monday, the Pirates cut one more player from their Spring Training roster on Tuesday morning. Pittsburgh reassigned right-handed reliever Nick Mears to Minor League camp, giving him a chance to prepare for the season as innings become scarcer in big league spring games.

• After injuries, tragedies, Mears close to triumph

Trainer’s room
• Left-hander Steven Brault (strained left shoulder) and right-hander Clay Holmes (fractured right fibula) are still rehabbing their respective injuries. They will each undergo further diagnostic imaging at the end of this week or early next week, Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said.

• Right-hander Jameson Taillon, who will miss this season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery, has progressed to playing catch from 105 feet. His rehabilitation continues to proceed with no issues, Tomczyk said.

Up next
The Pirates are off on Wednesday, although there will be some activity on the mound as right-handers Chris Archer , Michael Feliz and Richard Rodriguez are scheduled to pitch in a simulated game.

After that, the Bucs will return to Grapefruit League competition on Thursday at LECOM Park. The Pirates will host the Blue Jays, with Joe Musgrove scheduled to make the start at 1:05 p.m. ET. Relievers Geoff Hartlieb, Sam Howard, Nik Turley, Yacksel Rios and Miguel Del Pozo are also scheduled to pitch.