Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Ruled out for 2023 return

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.