The Pirates optioned right-hander Andrew Hutchison to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.
The move comes a day after Hutchison struggled in his final Grapefruit League start, giving up nine runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Red Sox.
"We've seen some flashes of the guy we felt like we were getting when we traded for him with the crispness of the fastball and the ability to keep it out of the middle of the plate, the sharpness of the breaking ball, and an effective changeup," Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said. "Unfortunately, we've also seen way to much of the fastball catching too much of the plate and his other pitches not being as sharp."

Shortly before the start, Huntington made it clear that the right-hander would have to earn the spot and that his $2.3 million salary wouldn't factor into the decision.
"We still believe he can be a quality Major League starting pitcher," Huntington said. "We need to do some work to get him right and ... the best way to do that was to send him to Indianapolis and give him consistent work and bullpens to see if we can get him back to what we believe we got when we traded for him."
Hutchison began the spring with three encouraging outings, allowing only two runs on six hits, while striking out nine over nine innings. However, over his past three efforts -- including two starts against the Red Sox -- he allowed 21 runs on 27 hits in 11 2/3 innings.
The decision means that either Tyler Glasnow, the Bucs' No. 1 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, or Trevor Williams will claim the final spot in the big league rotation.
The move leaves Pittsburgh with 32 players -- including three non-roster invitees -- in Major League camp, including 16 pitchers, four catchers, eight infielders and five outfielders.