BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates made their first round of Spring Training roster cuts on Monday morning, sending out six pitchers who are projected to begin the season with Triple-A Indianapolis. Eight hours later, they cut another group of young players, including two of their Top 30 Prospects.

The Pirates optioned shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz to Double-A Altoona while optioning first baseman Will Craig and right-handers JT Brubaker, Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce to Triple-A. They also reassigned catchers Jason Delay and Arden Pabst, left-hander Blake Weiman and righties Montana DuRapau, Luis Escobar and James Marvel to Minor League camp.

The difference in the transaction language is purely procedural. Cruz, Craig, Brubaker, Cederlind and Ponce are on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster, while the other six were in camp as non-roster invitees. Cruz hasn’t played above Double-A, so it was expected that he will at least begin the season back in Altoona -- even if he does hope to reach the Majors at some point this year.

“We’re excited about Oneil Cruz and the things he did in Spring Training and getting a chance to get to know him and just watching the energy with which he plays and how much fun he has playing,” general manager Ben Cherington said. “And it’s fun watching how hard he hits the ball, too. That’s really fun. … We try to reinforce all the good things with him and also explain that he needs to play. He needs to get at-bats. And we’re going to start running out of at-bats here in big league camps as we get closer to the season.”

None of Monday’s moves came as a surprise, in fact, because innings are becoming harder to come by in Grapefruit League games as starting pitchers and everyday position players get built up for the season.

Brubaker, Ponce and Marvel will get stretched out to be starting pitchers in Triple-A. Cederlind, DuRapau, Escobar and Weiman figure to break camp in Indianapolis’ bullpen. Delay and Pabst will serve as catching depth, with their starting assignment likely dependent upon how the Pirates shape their Opening Day roster and the depth behind it.

The 6-foot-7 Cruz, one of the more fascinating prospects in the Minors, turned some heads in Major League camp with his batting-practice shows and surprising-for-his-size defense at shortstop. Despite speculation that Cruz will wind up at a corner position, Cherington said the Pirates have not talked about having Cruz play anywhere but shortstop to start the season.

Craig, meanwhile, will move around and play some outfield when he reports to Minor League camp after spending all of his time in big league camp at first base. Craig went 4-for-22 this spring, with three of those hits going for extra bases, and struck out 10 times.

Interestingly, the Pirates did not include third-base prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes, who has the same amount of experience in Triple-A as Craig, in their first round of cuts. That might indicate the Pirates want to take a longer look at Hayes, their No. 2 prospect, but Cherington said it’s simply a matter of playing time.

“We’re certainly not making any determination on roster right now, but we’re just sort of managing playing time in big league camp,” Cherington said. “Who are the guys we’re still going to have at-bats or innings for, and who are the guys who are going to get squeezed? If guys are getting squeezed, we want them to be playing somewhere else.”

A right forearm/elbow strain limited Brubaker to six starts last season, including four in Triple-A that yielded a 2.57 ERA. His injury turned out to be a devastating blow to the Pirates’ rotation depth in a season when they had 14 pitchers start (or open) at least one game.

The year before, Brubaker -- the Pirates’ No. 28 prospect at the time, according to MLB Pipeline -- had established himself as a starting option by posting a 3.10 ERA over 22 starts for Indianapolis. If not for the injury, he would have pitched in Pittsburgh at some point last season.

“It was more frustrating for the fact that I just couldn’t be on the baseball field. No matter where I was, I was frustrated that I couldn’t go out and play,” Brubaker said. “You work the whole offseason, the whole Spring Training, then get banged up and you can’t continue out the year. That’s the frustrating part.”

Brubaker, 26, said he used the rehab experience to learn how to better prepare himself to pitch. This spring, he worked with new pitching coach Oscar Marin to develop a plan of attack that includes high four-seam fastballs and diving curveballs, a modern pitching approach to complement Brubaker’s typical sinker/slider combination. Now, he’ll head to Minor League camp and prepare for another potential opportunity in the Pirates' rotation later this year.

“I was excited to get back out there on the mound and face some hitters, just to be able to tell myself I’m able to go out there and compete without having any worries,” Brubaker said. “It was really a confidence boost. Now, it’s just going to get built up and get ready for the season.”

Cederlind made a particularly positive impression in his first Major League Spring Training. The right-hander showed off his power sinker, confident attitude and strikeout stuff. Cederlind, the Pirates’ 28th-ranked prospect, struck out nine and walked four while not allowing a hit in 4 2/3 innings over five outings in Grapefruit League play.

“I had a great time. I just want to thank the guys in the org for making it so cool. It’s time to go down there and work,” Cederlind said. “It’s been great. It sucks that I have to go to Minor League camp, but maybe we’ll be back up here soon.

“I got a taste of it, seeing what it’s like. We’ll see how quickly I can get back here.”

Cederlind said the big league staff didn’t leave him with any specific instructions as he headed out to Minor League camp, but he is confident he knows what he needs to improve in order to be ready for the Majors -- potentially as soon as this summer. He also thanked Pirates fans, who embraced the reliever on social media.

“They’ve been great to me,” Cederlind said. “Their support has helped push me through camp and led to what it has [been]. I just want them to know they’re appreciated.”