BRADENTON, Fla. - Henry Rodriguez's comeback following a year off from baseball couldn't have gone much better - at least until the Pittsburgh Pirates cut him.

Rodriguez, Ruben Mateo and Daryle Ward, three experienced outfielders trying to mount comebacks, were reassigned to the Pirates' minor league camp Tuesday amid a series of moves that left them with 39 players, 14 above the regular-season limit.

Also reassigned were right-handers Nelson Figueroa, Elio Serrano and Blake Stein, catcher Sandy Martinez and infielder Tomas De La Rosa. Optioned to Triple-A Nashville were right-handed starter John Van Benschoten and left-hander Mike Gonzalez.

Rodriguez, 36, is a former regular with the Dodgers and Cubs who has appeared in only 20 major league games since 2000 and did not play last season. He is hitting .320 with one homer and four RBI this spring, but was unable to win a job on a team that is relatively deep in outfielders.

The Pirates appear set with Jason Bay in left, Tike Redman in center and Raul Mondesi in right, with right fielder-first baseman Craig Wilson also expected to get plenty of at-bats against left-handers. Orlando Merced and-or Rob Mackowiak will likely make the team as a left-handed pinch-hitter and spare outfielder.

Because he has nearly 10 years in the majors, Rodriguez is free to sign with another club if he can work out a deal and is not required to report to a Pirates farm club.

"I was surprised. I think I did very good. I guess I was wrong," Rodriguez said. "I'm not mad at anybody, I'm just going to continue to play baseball. I'm going to go out there and see who is interested."

While Rodriguez insisted he wasn't angry, Ward, 28, was upset at being cut despite his .136 spring average. He said he would return to his California home and weigh his options.

"I know I didn't have much of an opportunity," said Ward, who hit 20 homers for the Astros in 2000.

Manager Lloyd McClendon said it was difficult to give Ward any more at-bats given how poorly he was swinging the bat.

"Take a look at the numbers - 22 at-bats, that's a pretty good opportunity," McClendon said.

Ward is signed to a Pirates' minor league contract, and general manager Dave Littlefield said he has no options - either he reports to camp or he will be suspended.

"He didn't play well. He's got lots of talent and has performed well at the major league level at times, but at this point he has not shown us enough to make us think he's part of the mix," Littlefield said. "He had a tough year last year, and at this point he hasn't shown us that things have changed."

Ward was trying to stay in the majors following a poor season with the Dodgers in which he hit .183 with no homers.

Mateo, 26, a former top prospect with the Rangers, hit .242 in 74 games with Cincinnati last season. He was also having a productive spring with Pittsburgh, hitting .316 in 11 games with three homers and three RBIs.

"He's got ability, he's certainly got power, but with our outfield situation, we didn't think there would be enough at-bats there," Littlefield said. "But this guy is an option at some point during the season."

Van Benschoten, the Pirates' 2001 first-round draft pick, had an excellent spring with a 1-0 record and 0.82 ERA in 11 innings over four games, but was never seriously in the running for a spot in the rotation. He limited the Yankees to a run and two hits over three innings in his final spring start Saturday.