Pittsburgh Pirates May Not Be Able to Get Back Oneil Cruz This Season After All
The Pittsburgh Pirates, who placed former No. 1 draft pick Henry Davis on the injured list this week, also got some bad news on the rehab of star shortstop Oneil Cruz.
The electrifying Cruz, who broke his ankle back in April, may not be able to return at all this season, according to Justice delos Santos:
Oneil Cruz’s rehab has “plateaued,” per director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk.
Cruz has stopped his running progression due to left foot general soreness. Regarding if Cruz can still play this year, Tomczyk said, “It’s tough to tell right now, but we are running out of days.”
While the Pirates are headed for a fourth or fifth place finish in the National League Central, it still would have been nice to see Cruz play some more this season in an effort to gain some reps and confidence for 2024, but that's looking increasingly unlikely.
Cruz, 24, is among the brightest young stars in the game. He is hitting .250 for the season with a homer, four RBI and three stolen bases through just 32 at-bats.
He made his major league debut in 2021 but really burst out in 2022, clocking 19 home runs and bringing in 61 in just 87 games.
The Pirates lost to the Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon to fall to 57-70 on the season.
They will begin a series with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night at PNC Park.
First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. ET. Justin Steele will pitch for Chicago. The Pirates haven't named a starter yet.
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