The Pittsburgh Pirates went two months without their budding star center fielder, Oneil Cruz, as he was rehabbing a left hand fracture. Despite the extended time off, Cruz has been dynamic in his return to the lineup.
Cruz would make his first appearance back from the IL against Detroit on August, 18. In that first game back Cruz had a massive home run with two RBIs. In the last game of the series against the Tigers Cruz would gather another hit, another RBI and had a stolen base. Even though he hadn’t appeared in a game since the first week of June he was back and looking better than ever.
The power of Cruz would be on full display once again in the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers as he added another home run to his season total in the opener. He would knock in another homer and play the hero in game two of the Pirates’ series against the San Diego Padres. In a scoreless game Cruz crushed a ball off of Padres’ closer Mason Miller to seal the victory for the Buccos.
And that's why you don't run on Oneil Cruz.
What a throw pic.twitter.com/TU9T6OH0ZK
In his 8 games since coming back from injury Cruz has hits in five of those contests. He has batted in eight runs in that span, and recorded his first triple of the season as well. Defensively he’s been a welcome presence back in center field as his blazing speed and rocket arm have been great tools for the Buccos. On the season Cruz has 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and has a slash line of .257/.347/.833 with a .486 slugging percentage.
Despite not being able to play a full season, when he is on the field Cruz has been one of the bright spots in this Pirates’ lineup. He’s been uncharacteristically incredible against left handed pitching this year as he’s improved greatly at the plate against southpaws. At the plate overall he’s been a better decision maker and all around hitter, and despite the early struggles he’s been a capable defender in the outfield this season too.
This season, the Pirates have been 38-31 when Cruz is healthy and in the lineup. Overall the team’s record is 65-70 and they sit at fourth place in the NL Central Division. It’s interesting to think how much better this team could have been in 2026 if Cruz did not get injured. Hopefully though the Pirates’ organization builds off this team and this season and Cruz can be a key contributor in 2027.
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