Cruz went 1-for-3 with one walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Guardians.
The Pirates' offense struggled Saturday, but Cruz managed to get on base twice and registered his 10th steal of the season in the third inning. He leads the majors in steals and ranks 12th and 14th in the National League in walks (13) and home runs (five), respectively.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Powers offense in pitchers' duel
Rotowire
Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo homer and a stolen base during Thursday's 1-0 win over the Nationals.
After launching a decisive grand slam in Wednesday's victory, Cruz provided all the offense in Thursday's contest with a 442-foot blast to right-center field in the opening frame. The 26-year-old struck out twice and has a .228 batting average and 29.6 percent strikeout rate through 17 games this year, but he's still provided plenty of production with four homers and a league-leading nine steals.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Blasts grand slam vs. Washington
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Nationals.
Cruz put the Pirates up for good in the sixth inning, when he took the first pitch he saw from Eduardo Salazar deep to right field for a 385-foot grand slam. It was the third home run of the season for Cruz and his first since April 2 against the Rays. The 26-year-old outfielder has begun the season slashing .222/.343/.426 with three home runs and nine RBI in 67 plate appearances, and he leads the majors with eight stolen bases.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Gets look at leadoff
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored Monday against the Nationals.
Cruz was in the lineup for the second straight day since returning from a finger injury. He's primarily hit third in the Pirates' order this season, but with the team struggling to score runs and battling a number of injuries, Cruz got his first look in the leadoff spot. He started a rally in the second inning with a one-out double, only his fourth extra-base hit of the campaign.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Back in lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Cruz (finger) is starting in center field and batting fourth against the Reds on Sunday.
He'd missed the Pirates' last three games after he was hit by a pitch on his finger Tuesday. Cruz has begun the year slashing .211/.360/.395 with seven stolen bases, two home runs and five RBI across 50 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Cruz (finger) is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against the Reds on Saturday.
Saturday marks the third straight absence for Cruz after he was hit on the finger by a pitch in Tuesday's contest against St. Louis. He could be available as a pinch runner, but Alexander Canario will draw the start in center field and bat sixth against Reds southpaw Andrew Abbott.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Remains out Friday
Rotowire
Cruz (finger) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.
Cruz was hit on the finger by a pitch in Tuesday's game versus the Cardinals and will now miss a second straight start. He was available as a pinch runner or defensive substitute in the Pirates' last game and presumably will be again Friday, but it appears Cruz isn't ready to hit yet. Jack Suwinski is covering center field and batting sixth in Friday's series opener.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Managing finger soreness
Rotowire
Manager Derek Shelton said after Wednesday's game against St. Louis that Cruz wasn't in the lineup due to finger soreness.
Cruz took a pitch off his finger in the seventh inning of Tuesday's contest, and he was pinch hit for when his spot in the batting order came around again in the ninth. Shelton noted that the 26-year-old was still available to pinch run or act as a defensive sub Wednesday, but the team wanted to make sure he didn't hit as a precaution. The Pirates' off day Thursday will give Cruz an extra 24 hours to recover, and he'll look to return to the starting nine in Friday's series opener in Cincinnati.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Resting for day game
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
The Pirates haven't indicated that Cruz is dealing with an injury, but fantasy managers may nonetheless want to keep an eye on his status heading into the team's weekend series with the Reds. Andrew McCutchen came on to pinch hit for the lefty-hitting Cruz in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 5-3 loss to St. Louis, though it's possible that had more to do with the Cardinals having a lefty reliever (JoJo Romero) on the bump. Cruz now finds himself out of the lineup for a day game after a night game, despite the fact that the right-handed Erick Fedde is starting for St. Louis. With a team off day on tap Thursday, Pittsburgh may have wanted to build in some extra rest for Cruz, who had started in 11 of its first 12 games.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Flashes power, speed in win
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Rays.
His fifth-inning solo shot off Ryan Pepiot was Cruz's second long ball of the season, while his first-inning steal was already his sixth in seven games. The 26-year-old stole a career-high 22 bags in 2024, but Cruz seems intent on eclipsing that mark by the All-Star break. He's batting .261 (6-for-23) with four runs, four RBI and a 6:7 BB:K to begin the campaign.
Cruz went 0-for-2 with with four walks, a run scored and two steals in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Marlins.
Cruz has been off and running to open the season and now has four steals through three contests. The 26-year-old also walked a career-high four times Saturday, showcasing impressive plate discipline and bringing his season total to six free passes.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Marlins.
The 26-year-old has gone 2-for-10 with six walks, a homer, four stolen bases, three runs and two RBI through the first three games of the season, and he'll receive a breather for Sunday's series finale in Miami. Jack Suwinski is receiving the start in center field in place of Cruz.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Homers, steals base in win
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk, a stolen base and an additional run scored in a 4-3 win over the Marlins on Friday.
Cruz sent a 115 mph missile to right field for a two-run homer in the fifth inning, which extended the Pirates' lead to 4-0. He stole his second base in as many games as well and has the potential to go 20-20 again this year after hitting 21 home runs and stealing 22 bases in 2024.
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