No more than a minute or two had passed after Jose Bautista learned that he had been demoted to the minors, and he was on the phone with his agent, Bean Stringfellow.

Probably no coincidence.

The Pirates' starting third baseman most of the past two years was visibly stunned after general manager Neal Huntington and manager John Russell had informed him last night, in Russell's office, that he was being optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis. The move will clear space for first baseman Adam LaRoche to come off the disabled list today.

"It doesn't feel good," Bautista said. "I definitely didn't see this coming, to tell you the truth. Got to go down there and play."

What might he play?

Neil Walker, one of the Pirates' top prospects, has third base. And center field already is overcrowded, with Andrew McCutchen, Nyjer Morgan, Chris Duffy and others.

"They didn't tell me," Bautista said.

Russell had informed Bautista two weeks ago in Chicago, immediately after Andy LaRoche was acquired in the Jason Bay trade, that he would become a utility player and capitalize on his ability to play every position on the diamond. But, despite several needs created by injury, Bautista made three starts and seven appearances in the 12 games since the trade. He went hitless in that span and was 0 for 11 in August.

"They said I was going to move around and get me into the lineup any way they could, but that obviously didn't happen," Bautista said.

Bautista, 27, was batting .242 with 12 home runs and 44 RBIs, the latter two figures on pace to match or exceed career highs. But the clearly was not enough for management, which made its dissatisfaction known early in the season by platooning him at third with Doug Mientkiewicz, a novice at the position.

Was it a fair chance?

"I don't think so," Bautista said. "But everybody's entitled to a different opinion."

And might he be better off playing for another organization, one that does not have LaRoche, Walker and possibly first-round draft pick Pedro Alvarez lined up at his primary position?

"We'll see how things go," Bautista said. "I think it would definitely work my way if that happened. I'm open to that."

"Given our recent acquisitions and the current roster composition, we decided the most appropriate move was to option Jose," Huntington said. "We will make the determination at a later date with respect to a September callup, but much of the decision is within his control."

LaRoche finished his three-game rehabilitation stint with Class A Hickory last night by going 2 for 3 with a walk and two RBIs. For the stint, he was 6 for 10 with a home run and four RBIs.