Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 3-2 win over the Marlins.
Cruz took Valente Bellozo deep to center in the first inning for his 19th blast of the season, which came off his bat at 113.7 mph. It was Cruz's first homer since August ninth, ending a career-long streak of 26 games without a home run. Cruz hit his sixth home run of 440 feet or more this season, which is tied for the third most in MLB. The 25-year-old has an average home run distance of 421.3 feet this season, trailing only Jorge Soler among players with 10 or more homers.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Cruz is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Cruz will head to the bench after a run of 22 straight starts, during which he batted .313 with nine extra-base hits, nine steals, 10 RBI and nine runs. Michael Taylor is receiving a look in center field for the series finale versus Washington.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Swipes 20th bag
Rotowire
Cruz went 0-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday against the Guardians.
Cruz reached base on a fielder's choice in the seventh inning and took advantage by swiping his 20th base of the season. He's gotten particularly aggressive on the basepaths in the last three weeks, as eight of his stolen bases have come in his last 17 games. Cruz needs two long balls to reach a 20-20 season in his first full slate of games in the majors.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Cracks four hits in losing effort
Rotowire
Cruz went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's 9-5 loss to the Cubs.
The 25-year-old drew a start at designated hitter and collected his second four-hit performance of the season, with his first being a 5-for-5 effort on Aug. 2. Cruz has been red hot in August, hitting .383 (31-for-81) with a home run, a triple, eight doubles, 11 RBI and nine runs scored across 22 games. Overall, he is now slashing .271/.328/.473 with 18 homers and steals apiece in 488 plate appearances this season.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced Monday that Cruz will be moved to center field, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Shelton suggested that the move will be permanent, with the skipper noting that Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Nick Gonzales will be the team's everyday options at shortstop and second base, respectively, for the remainder of the season. Cruz played one inning in left field for the Pirates in 2022 and started nine games at the position for Triple-A Indianapolis in the same season. However, he has never seen action in center field, so the 25-year-old will be learning on the fly. According to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates plan to ease Cruz into his transition to the outfield by deploying him mostly as a designated hitter initially.
Cruz went 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base Tuesday against the Rangers.
Cruz exited Friday's game after tweaking his ankle but has since started four consecutive games. He's also stolen a pair of bases in that span, suggesting that he is playing at or near full strength. Cruz has also hit well overall since the All-Star break, smacking four home runs while collecting 18 RBI, 15 runs scored and seven stolen bases while maintaining a .311 average.
Cruz (ankle) will serve as the designated hitter and bat second in Saturday's game against the Mariners.
Cruz injured his left ankle while turning towards third base in the seventh inning of Friday's game against Seattle. The injury won't keep him out of Saturday's contest, though he'll avoid fielding duties while Isiah Kiner-Falefa gets the start at shortstop.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Exits with ankle injury
Rotowire
Cruz was removed from Friday's game against the Mariners due to left ankle discomfort.
Cruz made a big turn toward third base after lining a two-RBI double into center field during the seventh inning, and he pivoted awkwardly on his ankle while turning back to second. The Pirates' medical staff is still in the process of examining his ankle, and the 25-year-old's status for Saturday's game is uncertain.
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Bowing out of lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.
After making a return from an illness, Cruz had started in each of the Pirates' last six games, going 9-for-24 with three extra-base hits and a 3:6 BB:K. Though he looks to be fully healthy again, Cruz will join fellow left-handed hitters Rowdy Tellez and Ji Hwan Bae on the bench as the Padres send southpaw Martin Perez to the hill.
Cruz went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI in Friday's 9-5 loss to the Dodgers.
Cruz came up a triple shy of the cycle, logging his second three-hit game in a row since returning from an illness. The shortstop has gone 12-for-24 (.500) with three extra-base hits over six contests in August. Cruz is up to a .262/.315/.473 slash line with a career-high 18 homers, 59 RBI, 54 runs scored, 24 doubles and 11 stolen bases over 103 games this season.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Making return to lineup
Rotowire
Cruz (illness) will start at shortstop and bat third in Thursday's game against the Padres.
Cruz had been out of the lineup for each of the past two games due to an illness, but his usage off the bench in Wednesday's 9-8 extra-inning loss was an indication his return to the starting nine was imminent. He'll take back his usual spot in the lineup for the series finale as the Pirates look to avoid a sweep.
