Pirates to Call Up Top Prospect Oneil Cruz

With the division rival Cubs coming into town, the Pirates are calling on their top prospect for a mid-season boost.

Pittsburgh is calling up shortstop Oneil Cruz to the big-league club, in news first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided. Manager Derek Shelton later confirmed that Cruz was heading to the majors, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Cruz, 23, made his brief major league debut last year, playing in two games in October. He went 3-for-9 with a home run and three RBI with four strikeouts, but presumably now will get an extended look.

Cruz is currently ranked as the No. 22 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. At 6’7”, he would easily become the tallest shortstop in the sport. At Triple A this year, he’s batted .233/.337/.424 with nine home runs and 11 stolen bases in 54 games.

Cruz was signed by the Dodgers in 2015 as an international free agent, then traded to Pittsburgh in ’17 as part of the Tony Watson deal. For his minor league career, he’s hit .275/.342/.458 with 58 home runs and 71 stolen bases across 459 games.