What Pirates Fans Must Know About Oneil Cruz Injury Update
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PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz hasn't played for the Pittsburgh Pirates the past two weeks, but there's reason for optimism that they'll get him back a little earlier than expected.
Cruz is working back from a fractured left hand, which he suffered back on June 6 after sliding into home plate in the 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, landing him on the 10-day injured list soon after.
Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said on June 23 that Cruz visited the hand surgeon after their west coast road trip, which showed his left hand bone healing and that he received clearance for gripping activities later this week.
Cruz won't return to the Pirates for some time, but this is a big step for him at this point of his rehab.
Why This is Important for Cruz
Cruz officially suffered fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures in his left hand, which is more commonly known as a boxer's fracture, where there is direct trauma on the hand.
This came for Cruz when he slid into home plate, getting his left hand jammed when Braves catcher Austin Wynns tagged him out on it.
Cruz has a long road back from injury, which Pirates general manager Ben Cherington had around four-to-six weeks back on June 14, looking at a return from July 12-26.
The gripping that Cruz will do is more so about the baseball and bat, before getting into higher level gripping activities, per Tomczyk.
If Cruz can do these without pain or much issue, Tomczyk hopes that he can start swinging a bat by the end of the week.
Cruz is right-handed, so this is less of a fielding/throwing issue, but still needs his left hand healthy for his glove and also as a left-handed batter.
Progression on this front from Cruz is crucial, as he'll start increasing his reps and intensity, then likely do a rehab assignment before officially coming back to the Pirates.
Pirates Missing Cruz's Production
Cruz was one of the Pirates best hitters before he suffered his injury, turning around from a poor 2025 campaign.
He hit .264/.350/.472 with an .822 OPS, smashing 14 home runs and 44 RBI, while stealing 21 bases and getting caught just four times.
Cruz became the first player in the major leagues to hit 10 home runs and steal 10 bases and was on pace for 34 home runs and 51 stolen bases before his injury, which would've put him in the 30-50 club, something only one Pirates player has done before in Barry Bonds.
The Pirates have had Jake Mangum in his place, who hit .340/.354/.426 for an OPS of .780 after Cruz's injury, but they're seriously missing Cruz's home runs and RBI.
Cruz's return could play a big role in the Pirates either making the postseason or missing out once again.
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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.