Where'll the right-handed pop originate? Maybe Joe?

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- And then there were fewer.

The Pirates announced two more roster cuts after their 8-1 loss to the Braves at CoolToday Park Sunday, reassigning outfielder Miguel Andújar and left-handed pitcher Angel Pedromo to minor-league camp. That means there are 36 players left in camp, but that number will decrease when Kevin Plawecki opts out of his minor-league deal, Chris Owings is reassigned to the minors and Jarlín García and most likely Robert Stephenson start the year on the injured list. In all likelihood, the Pirates likely only have six more roster cuts to make before opening day Thursday in Cincinnati.

With that clarity, we can take a deeper look at how even a late spring game can have bearing on the roster. With the exhibition portion of the season nearing its end, here are some final thoughts:

PUTTING FAITH IN JOE

There was a little scare Sunday with Connor Joe after he got hit in the left hand by a pitch in the sixth inning and quickly removed. However, that was just precautionary and he is day-to-day at the moment, per the club.

He's evidently healthy enough that Andújar was sent down a few hours later.

The Pirates have had a hard time finding a quality right-handed bench bat/platoon for some time now. After cycling through waiver-wire guys last season, like John Nogowski, Yu Chang and Kevin Padlo, they bit the bullet this winter and traded a decent pitching prospect in Nick Garcia to the Rockies for Joe. Joe was a year removed from a strong breakout campaign and the club is banking he can regain that form after a down 2022 season. It has looked like he recently started to turn a corner after a slow start to the spring.

"I think everything has been trending up," Joe said Friday. "Couple back-field live BPs recently. It’s nice to string at-bats together a couple days in a row. Work’s been really good. Good, quality work. Kind of just narrowing the focus on the approach and figuring that stuff out with the hitting staff."

I just don't know if they should count on that much right-handed pop. He only hit 15 home runs with the Rockies the last two years, and going by Baseball Savant's expected home runs, he would have only hit 12 at PNC Park. He has posted double-digit walk percentage rates the last two years, so he doesn't have to rely completely on his slugging percentage, but there's a chance the only right-handed bats are going to be him, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Andrew McCutchen, and switch-hitters (Bryan Reynolds, Rodolfo Castro and Carlos Santana). Mark Mathias has a decent chance too, but the point is the right-handed power is either McCutchen or a switch-hitter.

Considering the left-handed options in the lineup, they're going to have to provide the power, and hope that someone like Jack Suwinski can learn to mash southpaws. If not, there's not a ton of pop in this lineup.

LAST LEFTIES STANDING

With Perdomo out of the mix and García out for a while, at least, there are just two lefty relievers in camp: Jose Hernandez and Rob Zastrynzny. Hernandez is a Rule 5 pick, so unless the Pirates want to keep both of them, no further roster moves are going to need to be made since Hernandez would have to be offered back to the Dodgers if he fails to make the team.

So what do you want? The safer bet in the 31-year-old Zastrynzny or more potential and virtually no guarantee he can handle the majors in Hernandez? 

Both have selling points.

"I think with Z, it's the fact that he's able to pitch multiple innings," Derek Shelton said about the former. "We even saw him throw three innings in the WBC for Canada. That length is important."

Every bullpen needs innings-eaters, but the Pirates have a couple guys who can go multiple frames, like Wil Crowe, Duane Underwood Jr. and Chase De Jong. Do the Pirates need another long-inning option, especially with the extra April off-days built into the schedule?

Maybe it will come down to Roansy Contreras' status before the season starts. He's not as stretched out and he's going to throw an extended sim game before his first regular-season game. If he can't go more than four innings, do the Pirates hold him back or let him start anyway, knowing he's on a stricter pitch count and they'll need to use a bulk guy?

As for Hernandez, these last few outings have not gone his way, though he has made a good impression with the Pirates' brass. There's just obvious risk for someone who has never pitched above Class AA and is averaging a run allowed an inning this spring.

A SOLUTION FOR SECOND?

Second base was the first competition Shelton presented to the media back in January, and so far, it's been the least eventful. Tucupita Marcano flamed out before the finish line even though Castro and Ji Hwan Bae have also failed to make much of an impact.

Castro has been working on his left-handed swing this spring, adjusting his stance to try to put him in a better position.

"I think it's just being in a more stable place in his legs," Shelton said. "I think his setup is very important in key places, and that's something we've been working on."

It's a work in progress, and he has swung out of his shoes a couple times this spring. I also can't shake that I spotted him swinging right-handed at Pirate City against a right-handed thrower. It was batting practice and it was explained to me that he wanted to make sure he had both swings prepared, but the Pirates do throw left-handed BP at Pirate City. That's stuck with me while watching him struggle left-handed this spring.

There's a decent chance there isn't an official starter at second to start the year. Can I suggest a platoon, then? Bae against the right-handers, Castro against the southpaws. Give the latter MLB reps while sorting out his left-handed swing. If one of them takes off with the job, great. It doesn't have to be a platoon for long. Just long enough for someone to claim the job. If it doesn't happen, well, there's an answer, too.

MORE FROM THE GAME

• Rich Hill was originally scheduled to start this game but was scratched due to illness. It's too early to say if he will get that last spring training outing or if this will impact how he starts the season.

"We're going to reevaluate him tomorrow and then talk to Oscar [Marin] about it," Shelton said. "We just need him to talk about it first."

In Hill's place was a cavalcade of minor-leaguers, ranging from Omar Cruz to Eddy Yean. Travis MacGregor and Logan Hoffman each allowed multiple runs and needed to hand the ball off to a reliever.

Of the pitchers you will see at PNC Park this year, Crowe and Colin Holderman each allowed a solo shot in their inning of work, while Underwood tossed a clean third. Underwood is using his stuff and that new cutter effectively this spring. If he is ever going to break out with the Pirates, it's going to have to be now.

• The Pirates' only run was a Chris Owings sacrifice fly shortly after an Andújar double, one of just three hits for the visitors.

• Hey, at least this was a nifty play by Ji-Man Choi:

• This was a peak late spring game that makes you long for the regular season. Bring on Cincinnati. Can't get here soon enough.

• There were 14 pitchers used and the game was still only 2 hours, 39 minutes. Long live the pitch clock.