Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Back in action in instructionals
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Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Monday that Cruz (ankle) has resumed participating in instructional games in the Dominican Republic this offseason, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz hasn't yet taken part in any official Dominican Winter League games and may not before the 50-game regular season ends in late December, but the fact that he's taking live at-bats again as well as playing the field suggests that he's made a full recovery from the fractured left ankle he suffered April 9. Assuming the 25-year-old avoids any setbacks in his offseason program while he continues to train in the Dominican Republic, he should report to spring training with no restrictions. Though he essentially lost a season of development at the big-league level while recovering from ankle surgery, Cruz has youth in his favor as he looks to bounce back from the major injury. His impressive bat speed and sprint speed has been matched by few players during his time in the majors and should translate to some solid power and stolen-base numbers in 2024 even while he shakes off some rust, but Cruz's lengthy absence didn't do anything to quell the concerns about his plate discipline that existed even before he fractured his ankle.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Expected to be ready for spring
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Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that he expects Cruz (ankle) to be fully healthy by the start of spring training, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz fractured his left ankle in the ninth game of the 2023 regular season and was unable to return before the end of the year after encountering multiple minor setbacks. He's in a good place now, though, and could even play some winter ball in the Dominican Republic to make up for lost time. "All of the updates we've gotten over the last couple weeks have been encouraging," Cherington said.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Ruled out for 2023 return
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Manager Derek Shelton said Tuesday that Cruz (ankle) won't return this season, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Cruz has run into a couple of minor setbacks in his recovery from early-April surgery to repair a fractured left fibula and will now shift his focus toward being 100 percent healthy for the beginning of the 2024 campaign. The dynamic 24-year-old shortstop went as a top-80 pick in most fantasy drafts this spring but wound up appearing in only nine games for the Pirates. He holds a career .751 OPS with 19 home runs and 13 stolen bases through 98 total major-league games.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Will resume running this week
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Cruz (ankle) is expected to restart his running progression this week, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz was shut down Aug. 23 due to soreness in his surgically-repaired left ankle, but he's feeling better now and still has an outside shot of returning to the Pirates' active major-league roster before the conclusion of the 2023 season. The dynamic 24-year-old shortstop has been sidelined since April 9.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Halts running due to soreness
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Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Cruz has shut down his running progression due to soreness in his surgically repaired left ankle, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Cruz began a running program a couple weeks ago, but his ankle hasn't responded as hoped and his rehab has "plateaued," according to Tomczyk. As for whether the talented young shortstop could still return before the end of the season, Tomczyk said cryptically that "we are running out of days." The snag that Cruz has hit in his rehab certainly isn't a positive development, and with no reason to push him to return this season, the Pirates may proceed slowly with the 24-year-old as they prepare him to be ready for spring training.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Cleared for running
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Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Thursday that Cruz (ankle) has begun a formal running program, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz has been throwing and taking light fielding practice for the last couple of weeks and has now been given clearance to ramp up the intensity of his workouts. If his surgically-repaired ankle responds well to the running progression, Cruz could feasibly head out on a minor-league rehab assignment within the next couple of weeks and return to the Pirates just before the end of August. The 24-year-old shortstop fractured his left fibula while sliding into home plate back on April 9.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: May play rehab games in August
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Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Cruz (ankle) could begin a rehab assignment later this month, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Tomczyk has been unwilling to put an official timeline on Cruz's return while the young shortstop works back from surgery to address a fractured left ankle he sustained April 9, but the organization remains confident the 24-year-old will return to the big club at some point in 2023. According to Jerry DiPaola of TribLive.com, Tomczyk said last week that Cruz has been able to move on the field laterally to corral groundballs and was also playing catch out to 150 feet. Cruz still has a few hurdles to clear -- notably, taking live batting practice, running the bases and taking part in full fielding drills -- before beginning a rehab assignment, but he could realistically be ready to report to an affiliate at some point in the second half of August.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Throwing from 75 feet
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Cruz (fibula) played catch Thursday at a distance of 75 feet, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz has also been doing some other range-of-motion exercises as he begins to ramp up his rehabilitation from early-April surgery to repair a fibula fracture. The current hope is that he could begin playing in live games again sometime in August.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Likely to ditch boot next week
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Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Cruz (fibula) is expected to transition out of his walking boot next week, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
When that happens, he'll be cleared for strength and range-of-motion exercises for his surgically-repaired left leg. Cruz is expected to be on the shelf until sometime in August.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Cleared for upper-body work
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Cruz (fibula) returned to the clubhouse Thursday after he had the staples removed from his surgically-repaired left leg this week, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Cruz was also given clearance to begin upper-body conditioning and weight lifting, the first significant step in what will be a long rehab process. The dynamic 24-year-old shortstop is expected to be sidelined until at least early August. Rodolfo Castro has been at short most days for the Pirates since the April 9 fibula fracture.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Transferred to 60-day IL
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Cruz (fibula) was transferred Tuesday from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
This move clears out a 40-man roster spot for right-hander Eli Villalobos, who was claimed off waivers from the Marlins on Tuesday. Cruz is expected to be sidelined for at least the next four months after suffering a fractured fibula Sunday while sliding into home plate.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Gets surgery, out 10-to-12 weeks
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Cruz underwent surgery Sunday after suffering a fractured left ankle in the Pirates' 1-0 win over the White Sox and is expected to be sidelined for 10-to-12 weeks, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
The Pirates haven't confirmed the timeline provided by Gorman, but the fact that Cruz required surgery to address the injury rather than going the rest-and-rehab route for treatment suggests he won't be on track to meet the short end of a timetable to return from a fractured ankle, which can be as few as six weeks. Expect Pittsburgh to place Cruz on the injured list ahead of Monday's series opener versus the Astros, though he may not go on the 60-day IL until the Pirates need to open up another spot on the 40-man roster. Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae are likely to get the first chance to serve as the Pirates' everyday middle infielders while Cruz is on the shelf, though Tucupita Marcano and/or Chris Owings could be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and potentially make a push for playing time.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Injures leg in play at plate
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Cruz was removed in the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the White Sox after suffering an apparent left leg injury following a collision at home plate with Chicago catcher Seby Zavala, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. He went 0-for-2 with a walk and stolen base prior to departing the game.
Cruz sustained the injury on a hard slide into home plate and was called out after being tagged by Zavala. The star shortstop didn't appear to be putting much weight on his leg and required assistance while limping off the field. The Pirates will likely provide an update on Cruz's condition later Sunday or shortly after the game, but the 24-year-old looks like a good bet to miss time, even if his injury isn't significant enough to require a trip to the injured list.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Being evaluated for injury to face
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Cruz is being evaluated for a facial injury, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Cruz took a blow to the face as he collided with Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers in the seventh inning of Wednesday's game at Fenway Park. His left eye specifically seemed to be giving him trouble, but the Pirates are classifying Cruz's injury as a facial issue. Pittsburgh is off Thursday, so more clarity on Cruz's status should arrive shortly before Friday's game against the White Sox.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Leaves with apparent injury
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Cruz was removed from Wednesday's game in Boston due to an apparent left eye injury, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Cruz had an awkward collision with Rafael Devers near the third base bag in the top of the seventh inning and was replaced before the bottom of the seventh. A trainer appeared to be looking at his left eye. He finished the day 1-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Nabs first steal of season
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Cruz went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
His modest four-game hit streak to begin the season came to an end, but Cruz made up for it with his first steal of 2023. The 24-year-old comes into the season with sky-high expectations after slugging 17 homers and stealing 10 bases in 87 big-league games last year, and while he's batting only .263 (5-for-19) with one home run and one stolen base through five games, his 3:4 BB:K is highly encouraging. If Cruz's plate discipline takes a big step forward, a massive fantasy campaign is likely to follow.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Smacks awe-inspiring homer
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Cruz went 1-for-2 with two walks, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-4 victory over the Reds.
Cruz erased an early Reds lead with a missile of a home run, a 425-foot long ball off Hunter Greene clocked at 111.1 mph off the bat. His tools are just silly, and the walks are nice to see, suggesting the improved plate discipline from late last season might stick. While the team context isn't great, the upside is massive regardless for the Pirates' leadoff hitter.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: At leadoff spot for opener
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Cruz is batting leadoff for the Pirates in their season opener Thursday against the Reds.
Cruz jumped up into the leadoff spot down the stretch in 2022, and he can hopefully latch onto that role throughout the entire 2023 campaign. The dynamic 24-year-old shortstop has tallied 18 home runs and 10 stolen bases across his first 89 major-league games.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Contract renewed for 2023
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Cruz has his contract renewed for the 2023 season by the Pirates on Wednesday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Cruz will make the league minimum $720,000 as he participates in his first full season of MLB action in 2023. The uber-athletic shortstop is expected to make a major leap forward in his development this year and will look to flex both his power at the plate and his speed on the bases. Cruz said late last month that he expects to have a 30-homer, 30-steal season for the Pirates, a lofty goal for the 24-year-old. He'll look to improve upon the uninspiring .233 average and 34.9 strikeout percentage he produced over 331 at-bats in 87 games last year.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: No limitations for spring training
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The Pirates announced Wednesday that Cruz (ankle) is a "full go" for spring training, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Though Cruz sustained what was reported to be a minor ankle injury in December while he played in the Dominican Winter League, his availability for the start of spring training was never believed to be in much question. It's reassuring nonetheless that the Pirates have cleared him for full activity for the first week of camp, ensuring that the 24-year-old can continue to hone his craft in the field and at the plate during the Grapefruit League slate. Last week, Cruz told Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic that he expects to turn in a "30/30 or 40/40" season, and while that type of lofty production probably isn't realistic, a 20/20 season is certainly attainable for the toolsy shortstop if health prevails and he shows some growth as a hitter. In 361 plate appearances with the big club as a rookie last season, Cruz notched 17 home runs and 10 stolen bases, but a bloated 34.9 percent strikeout rate weighed down his batting average (.233).
