Fantasy News

• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Collects three hits

  Rotowire Apr 23, 2024

  Cruz went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Monday against the Brewers. Cruz hit eighth in the order for the third straight game against a right-handed pitcher as the Pirates seek to get him on track at the plate. He showed some reasons for optimism with his three-hit performance, highlighted by a two-RBI single in the sixth inning that gave the team some insurance runs. Most importantly, Cruz struck out only once after punching out multiple times in seven of his previous 10 games.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Slips down order

  Rotowire Apr 21, 2024

  Cruz went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base Saturday against the Red Sox. Cruz also struck out twice, and he has now punched out multiple times in eight of his last 10 starts. He's hit .095 in that span, though he did manage to chip his second stolen base of the season Saturday. As a result of his struggles, Cruz dropped to eighth in the lineup after exclusively batting as the team's leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching through the first 11 matchups of the campaign.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Inserted into lineup

  Rotowire Apr 16, 2024

  Cruz, who was originally slated for a day off, is now in the Pirates' lineup and hitting seventh versus the Mets on Tuesday. Cruz was initially not in the lineup Tuesday with southpaw Jose Quintana on the mound for the Mets, but the change in plans is a result of Ke'Bryan Hayes's late scratch for a yet-to-be-revealed reason.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Getting day off Tuesday

  Rotowire Apr 16, 2024

  Cruz is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets. Southpaw Jose Quintana is toeing the rubber for the Mets, so Pirates manager Derek Shelton felt this was a good time to give the left-handed hitting Cruz a breather. The fact that Cruz is 0-for-9 with seven strikeouts over the last two games was probably also a factor. Alika Williams will fill in at shortstop Tuesday.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting out against right-hander

  Rotowire Apr 9, 2024

  Cruz is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. It's Cruz's second day off of the season and his first versus a right-hander. He had batted leadoff in each of the previous six contest against righties. Jared Triolo will be at the top of the order Tuesday, while Alika Williams gets a start at shortstop.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Belts second homer

  Rotowire Apr 5, 2024

  Cruz went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Orioles. The 25-year-old shortstop took Grayson Rodriguez deep in the fifth inning to get the Pirates on the board. Cruz has collected multiple hits in four of his first eight games in 2024, batting .344 (11-for-32) with two homers, three RBI and seven runs. He's still looking for his first stolen base however, after swiping 13 bags in his first 98 career big-league games.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: In leadoff spot Wednesday

  Rotowire Apr 3, 2024

  Cruz will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. The Pirates faced five straight southpaws to begin the season, and the left-handed-hitting Cruz hit sixth twice, seventh twice and had one day off in those contests. With right-hander Trevor Williams taking the ball Wednesday, Cruz will be elevated to the top of the batting order.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Starts season with homer

  Rotowire Mar 29, 2024

  Cruz went 1-for-5, blasting a solo homer while striking out three times during Thursday's Opening Day victory over Miami. Cruz struggled in his first three at-bats but distributed a 1-0 offering from Sixto Sanchez the opposite way over the left-center field wall to tie the game 5-5 in the eighth inning. The dynamic shortstop played in only nine games last year prior to breaking his ankle, but his Opening Day homer followed up on a strong spring during which he hit seven long balls.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Making first spring start

  Rotowire Feb 25, 2024

  Cruz (ankle) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles. Cruz didn't play Saturday in the Pirates' 5-3 loss to the Twins in the spring opener, but he'll be back in action for his first start at shortstop since April 9, when he suffered a fractured left ankle that required season-ending surgery. The 25-year-old reported to spring training at full strength and will look to get in as many game reps as possible to prepare himself for Opening Day on the heels of a lost season.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: At full speed in camp

  Rotowire Feb 21, 2024

  Cruz is participating without restrictions in spring camp, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports. Cruz was able to play in only nine games before fracturing his left fibula in 2023. After suffering a few setbacks, he's been able to participate fully in all fielding and batting drills. Manager Derek Shelton has acknowledged that Cruz is battling some rust, so the team plans to get him more live reps as the spring progresses. He'll be locked in as the Pirates' starting shortstop so long as he remains healthy in 2024.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Fully recovered from injury

  Rotowire Jan 6, 2024

  Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Saturday that Cruz is fully recovered from left ankle surgery, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Shelton was asked about Cruz during the team's PiratesFest fan event and said the shortstop is "healthy" and "moving around." The 25-year-old wasn't able to make it back before the end of the season after undergoing surgery in early April to repair a fractured left fibula. Cruz did play in some instructional league games in the Dominican Republic, though, and should head into spring training without any restrictions. With a full season of health, Cruz represents a tantalizing fantasy talent.

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• Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Back in action in instructionals

  Rotowire Dec 4, 2023

  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

  Rotowire Nov 9, 2023

  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

  Rotowire Sep 12, 2023

  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

  Rotowire Sep 5, 2023

  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: May play rehab games in August

  Rotowire Aug 2, 2023

  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

  Rotowire Jun 29, 2023

  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

  Rotowire May 31, 2023

  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: Transferred to 60-day IL

  Rotowire Apr 11, 2023

  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

  Rotowire Apr 10, 2023

  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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