Bradenton, Fla. -- The Pirates this morning trimmed their roster to 30 by optioning third-baseman Jose Bautista and catcher Ronny Paulino, and reassigning infielder Mike Edwards and pitchers Scott Strickland and Britt Reames.

General Manager Dave Littlefield said the team will place injured pitchers Kip Wells, John Van Benschoten and Bryan Bullington on the disabled list, although no decision had been made as to the length of their stays.

Bautista, 25, was among the Pirates' top performers this spring. He batted .345 with four home runs and nine RBIs, and he was superb defensively.

"It's one of those good news bad news things," Littlefield said. "The bad news is obviously that you hate to send a guy to the minor leagues who has performed well. The good news is I'm sure he'll be back soon.

"I understand the picture," Bautista said. "I kind of had a clue when they went out and signed Joe Randa this winter. It's not a big shock to me. I know I performed well this spring, but I didn't really think that was going to matter."

The team must reduce its roster to 25 by Sunday. The regular season opens Monday in Milwaukee.