Pirates Make Another Huge Oneil Cruz Injury Move
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continue dealing with injuries to their stars and another one will have to miss some time.
The Pirates placed center fielder Oneil Cruz on the 10-day injured list with a left hand injury, officially left hand fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures, recalling outfielder Billy Cook in the process.
Cruz injured his left hand sliding across home plate in the 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 6 and didn't play in the past two games.
The Pirates did have Cruz starting in center field vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series opener on June 9, but scratched him pre-game and had Jake Mangum take his place.
Pirates manager Don Kelly said that Cruz's hand "tightened up on him as the day went on," so him going on the injured list shows that the pain wasn't getting better.
Pirates Losing Key Part of Lineup in Cruz
Cruz has put together a solid season for the Pirates in 2026, serving as one of their better hitters so far.
He has slashed .264/.350/.472 for an OPS of .822 in 64 games, with 45 runs scored, 66 hits, 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 30 walks to 98 strikeouts and 21 stolen bases, with just four times caught stealing.
Cruz ranks second in the National League, behind Washington Nationals second baseman Nasim Nuñez, and fourth in baseball in stolen bases, as he has served as one of the bettter base
He was the first player in MLB this season to join the 10-10 club (10 home runs and 10 stolen bases), and was on track towards a 30-50 season, which very few players have ever achieved.
Cruz's 14 home runs are tied-ninth in the NL and tied-20th in baseball, while his 44 RBI rank seventh-most in the NL and 14th-most in baseball. His 45 runs scored also rank tied-fourth most in the NL and tied-10th most in MLB.
It's a big loss for the Pirates, who will have to look elsewhere for offensive production on a team that is reliant on its stars to come through at the plate.
Who Replaces Cruz in CF?
Mangum is starting in center field in the second game of the series vs. the Dodgers, so it's likely he is the starting center fielder for the time being.
He has started six of seven games played there and being the Pirates "fourth outfielder" makes him the clear starter going forward.
The Pirates will also likely have Cook play a few games there, but expect Mangum there most of the time.
Bryan Reynolds could also play center field if needed, with Tyler Callihan or Cook playing in left field.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.