Pirates' Oneil Cruz Takes Next Step in Injury Rehab
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have missed the offensive production from center fielder Oneil Cruz, but his recent progress is a sign of hope for his eventual return.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan that Cruz will move his rehab down to Bradenton, Fla. this week, where the team is situated for Spring Training.
Cherington gave an optimistic report on Cruz, who has missed most of June with a fractured left hand, that he's making improvements and that he is doing gripping exercises. Cruz also has a cast off on his hand that he previously had at the start of the injuury.
“Yeah, he’s reporting improvement every day, feeling better," Cherington said. "He is starting to grip. He’s heading to Florida this week and we’re anticipating that that progression will pick up as he gets to Florida."
Why Oneil Cruz is Moving Rehab to Florida
Cruz went on the 10-day injured list back on June 10, retroactive to June 8, with left hand fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures, that occurred when he slid into home plate in the 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 6.
The Pirates are heading out on the road this week, where they'll face the Philadelphia Phillies for a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park, June 29-July 2, and then battle the Washington Nationals for a weekend series, July 3-5.
Cruz going out on the road trip doesn't really benefit him, as he needs to fully focus on his rehab and get back to the Pirates fully fit.
Shortstop Konnor Griffin spent a week in Bradenton on their last road trip, working back from a right forearm flexor strain, and made his return this weekend in their series vs. the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park.
Cherington said that Cruz going down to Florida also makes it easier for him to just get any work he needs done and not have to worry about finding time in a less hospitable road environment.
“When you hear a player heading to Florida, it typically means that it’s time that they’re going to start ramping up baseball activities and we do that because once a player’s starting to ramp up baseball activity, it just becomes a little bit harder to do that with the major league team because our staff is so focused on the active players and the guys ready for the game.
"Especially on the road, there’s usually only a single cage. So if you want to get hitting done, you’re kind of waiting for the 13 active players to get done. So we usually transition that to Florida and that’s where Oneil is headed.”
Cruz starting the gripping exercises is important, as it shows his left hand is healing, and will get him to eventually swinging a bat and hitting once again.
His return is still unknown, but Cherington says they hope to see Cruz at some point into July and hopefully have a better idea by the All-Star break in two weeks time.
“If you’re betting that’s fair, we’ll see," Cherington said. "Certainly into July and as we get closer to the All-Star break. We’ll see where we are. We want to make sure he’s in a good spot…”
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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.