Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting out despite clean MRI
Rotowire
Cruz (knee) is absent from the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Tigers.
Cruz was forced to exit Saturday's game with a left knee injury. The good news is an MRI came back negative, per Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com, but there's no reason to push Cruz to play during the regular-season finale. He will finish the 2026 campaign having hit .280/.368/.486 with 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases over just 97 contests.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Exits early Saturday
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Cruz was removed from Saturday's game against the Tigers due to an apparent injury, Dominic Campbell of SI.com reports.
Cruz's knee seemed to be bothering him after his foot got stuck in the grass while he made a sliding catch in the first inning, and he was eventually taken out of the game in the third. The Pirates should provide more information on his status in the near future, but with just one game left on the schedule after Saturday, Pittsburgh may opt to keep him on the sidelines no matter what.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Exiting lineup versus lefty
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Cruz is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Cardinals.
The lefty-swinging Cruz will retreat to the bench as the Cardinals send left-hander Matthew Liberatore to the bump. Jake Mangum will patrol center field and will bat ninth for the Pirates.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Tallies 19th homer
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Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Brewers.
Cruz took Logan Henderson yard to lead off the fourth inning to record his 19th home run of the season. It was only his second time going deep in September, though Cruz has still managed to hit .333 with three steals, 12 RBI and five runs through 14 games this month.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Responsible for all scoring in victory
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Cruz went 3-for-4 with a home run and an additional RBI in Thursday's 2-0 win over the White Sox.
Cruz knocked in both runs that were scored in the contest, drilling a solo homer to center field in the fourth inning and adding an RBI single in the eighth. He was also the only player to record multiple hits in the low-scoring affair. Cruz's long ball was his first since Aug. 25, though he did bat a healthy .326 during the 12 games between homers. Due to a hand fracture that sidelined him for two months this summer, he's played in just 84 contests this year but has put up big numbers, posting a career-best .848 OPS with 18 home runs, 56 runs, 62 RBI and 27 stolen bases.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Drives in four runs in wild win
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Cruz went 4-for-6 with a run scored and four RBI in Tuesday's 13-12 win over the Giants.
All four knocks were singles, but it was still a very productive night for Cruz, who got three of his RBI on two third-inning singles in a frame that saw the Pirates send 15 batters to the plate. The 27-year-old has racked up nine hits in his last four games, and since returning from a fractured hand in mid-August, Cruz has produced a .311/.392/.578 slash line over 12 contests with three homers, three steals, eight runs and 12 RBI.
Cruz went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, two stolen bases and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals.
Cruz went 5-for-13 during the three-game weekend series versus St. Louis. The outfielder was able to make an impact with speed in this contest, picking up his first steals since Aug. 19. For the season, he's 24-for-28 on the basepaths. Cruz is batting .263 with an .835 OPS, 17 home runs, 52 RBI, 52 runs scored, 11 doubles and one triple over 75 contests this year, and he's hit .256 (10-for-39) since returning from a fractured hand.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Homers for lone run in win
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Cruz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Padres.
Cruz smacked the first homer off Mason Miller all season, breaking a 0-0 tie in the top of the ninth inning. This was Cruz's third homer in his last seven games, though he's gone just 5-for-23 in that span since returning from a fractured left hand. The speedy outfielder is batting .260 with an .839 OPS, 17 homers, 22 stolen bases, 52 RBI, 49 runs scored, 10 doubles and one triple over 71 contests. Even with the significant time missed, Cruz is nearing a career high in homers, needing five more to set a new high mark.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Not starting Sunday
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Cruz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Cruz started the past four games after being reinstated from the injured list and will receive a break after going 4-for-13 with three walks, a triple, two homers, one steal, seven RBI and three runs scored. Billy Cook is picking up a start in center field in the series finale in Los Angeles.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Forces extras Friday
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Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and two walks in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Dodgers.
Cruz went deep in the eighth inning to force the extra frame. He's gone 3-for-9 with a pair of homers, five RBI and a stolen base over three games since he returned from a fractured left hand. Cruz has hit fifth in all of those contests after primarily serving as the Pirate's leadoff hitter prior to his injury. On the year, he's batting .266 with an .846 OPS, 16 homers, 49 RBI, 47 runs scored, 10 doubles and 22 stolen bases over 67 contests.
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Belts two-run homer in return
Rotowire
Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run during the Pirates' 4-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday.
Cruz was activated from the 60-day injured list Monday, but he had to wait until Tuesday to make his return to the lineup. He made an immediate impact in his return with a two-run long ball in the fifth to put the Pirates up for good. It's a great sign for Cruz, who had been working his way back from a fractured left hand that he suffered in early June. His return is a significant boost for a Pirates team attempting to make a late surge to reach the postseason.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Returns from IL, not starting Monday
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The Pirates reinstated Cruz (hand) from the 60-day injured list Monday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
After going 3-for-22 with a 3:7 BB:K and a stolen base over six rehab games between Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona, Cruz returned to PNC Park on Sunday to be re-evaluated, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. With the training staff coming away satisfied with how his fractured left hand has healed, Cruz received the green light to rejoin the Pirates' active roster. Cruz won't be included in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener versus the Tigers, but he should quickly settle back in as the Pirates' primary center fielder after slashing .264/.350/.472 with 14 home runs, 21 steals, 45 runs and 44 RBI in 64 games prior to landing on the shelf.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Will not be activated this weekend
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Cruz (hand) will remain on his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona at least through the weekend, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The Pirates hadn't previously ruled out a return from the 60-day injured list for Cruz this weekend against the Red Sox, but they've opted to give him more time. Cruz has gone 2-for-13 with a 3:6 BB:K through his first four rehab games between Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He has not yet started back-to-back games in center field, and the Pirates likely want him to check that box before reinstating him. Cruz has been shelved since mid-June with a fractured hand.
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Cleared to begin rehab assignment
Rotowire
Cruz (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Cruz has finally been cleared to test things out in a game setting after missing two months with a fractured left hand. The center fielder would ideally be given a handful of rehab contests to knock the rust off, but the Pirates might not have the luxury of taking things slowly as they fight for a playoff spot. Cruz slashed .264/.350/.472 with 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 64 games for Pittsburgh before getting hurt.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: No timeline to return
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General manager Ben Cherington said that there is no timeline for Cruz (hand) to return from the injured list, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz was cleared for all baseball activities July 29, seemingly paving the way for him to return from the 60-day injured list Aug. 7. However, Cherington only made a vague statement that Cruz is making progress and on track, with the hope that he returns to games soon. While it sounds like Cruz is still nearing activation, that may not occur until closer to mid-August.
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