BRADENTON, Fla. -- Nate McLouth will be the Pirates' starting center fielder, having convincingly won his spring duel with Nyjer Morgan.

But Morgan received a sweet consolation prize when the team made that announcement this afternoon: He will make the team, too.

"We like what both of them bring," general manager Neal Huntington said.

McLouth, 26, is batting .311 with six doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBIs and three steals in as many attempts. He also has walked four times to raise his on-base percentage, key for a leadoff man, to an impressive .405.

Morgan, 27, is batting .225 with two doubles in 58 at-bats. He has 12 strikeouts, five walks and stole three of five bases. His on-base percentage: .313.

For McLouth, it represents the first significant chance of his career to play everyday.

"I knew I was having a good spring, but you never know until you hear the news," McLouth said. "I'm so happy."

So was Morgan, it seemed.

"The bat was a little cold. She was definitely cold," he said. "But I pushed through it, kept working hard and "aw, man, this is so exciting."

The Pirates this morning made five other moves. They cut outfielder Kevin Thompson and relievers Jonah Bayliss, Elmer Dessens and Casey Fossum, and they added infielder Luis Rivas to the 40-man roster, effectively putting him on the team for opening day.

Rivas will be the starting second baseman if Freddy Sanchez, still unable to throw at 100 percent because of offseason shoulder surgery, is not ready.

"It's a great feeling," Rivas said.

"Luis has done the job all spring, with the bat and the glove," Huntington said.

Rivas, 28, is batting .347 with five doubles and a triple, and he has been above average in the field. He is the likely candidate to open the season at second base if injured Freddy Sanchez is unable.

Thompson was optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis, Bayliss was designated for assignment, Fossum and Dessens were reassigned to minor-league camp, and Rivas' contract was purchased from Indianapolis.

To clear space on the 40-man for Rivas, Bayliss was designated for assignment.

Bayliss, 27, had a 3.18 ERA in six appearances, none since March 18. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out two. He was out of options, forcing the Pirates to remove him from the roster, but Huntington said the team hopes he can clear waivers and report to Indianapolis.

Thompson, 28, was slowed early in spring because of a late-season shoulder injury in 2007 but quickly recovered and batted .263 with three doubles in 38 at-bats.

With him gone, that would appear to give Nyjer Morgan a spot on the 25-man roster. But Huntington hedged when asked about that, pointing out that Doug Mientkiewicz, who is trying to make the team as a utility player, has fared well at the corner outfield spots this spring.

Fossum, 37, had an 11.25 ERA in five appearances. He allowed seven hits and five walks while striking out three. He will be reassigned to Class AAA Indianapolis, but he has an escape clause in his contract that allows him to declare free agency if he is not added to the 25-man roster by June.

Dessens, 37, had his spring work delayed by a lower back strain that nearly made him an early cut. He was limited to three appearances, allowed no runs and two hits while striking out one

Also, reliever Jaret Wright's spring escape clause -- which would have allowed him to declare free agency if not added to the 25-man roster by today -- was extended to Thursday, as per an agreement with Wright.

"We'll see how it goes," Wright said. "I thought giving it another chance would be a good idea."

Wright is scheduled to pitch tomorrow against the Detroit Tigers. He has a 3.38 ERA in eight one-inning appearances, allowing six hits and four walks with one strikeout.

The Pirates now have 33 players in camp, including two -- center fielder Chris Duffy and reliever Juan Perez -- who are injured. That means they still have to cut six more players.

The field includes 16 healthy pitchers. With the rotation and three relievers set, that means eight pitchers -- Wright, Franquelis Osoria, Sean Burnett, Hector Carrasco, Masumi Kuwata, Byung-Hyun Kim, Phil Dumatrait and Evan Meek -- are vying for four bullpen openings.

"We still have some tough decisions to make in the bullpen," Huntington said.

Huntington strongly suggested the roster will be set before the Pirates play their final exhibition Saturday.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.