Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz has been on the injured list since undergoing left ankle surgery in early April, which came with an estimated recovery time of four months. That timeline has now elapsed but it doesn’t seem like he’s close to returning, which is starting to put his season in jeopardy.
The club’s director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk provided an update today, with Justice delos Santos of MLB.com and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette relaying the details. Tomczyk said Cruz has “plateaued” and hasn’t been running for the past seven to ten days, still battling some general soreness in his leg. Regarding the infielder’s chances of returning later in the year, Tomczyk says “It’s tough to tell right now, but we are running out of days.”
Cruz, now 24, has flashed some elite tools in his time in the majors while also showcasing some concerning elements in his game. In 87 contests last year, his exit velocities, arm strength and sprint speed were all at or near the top of the charts in the league. But he also struck out in 34.9% of his plate appearances and got mixed reviews for his shortstop defense, with one Defensive Run Saved but -9 Outs Above Average and a grade of -7.5 from Ultimate Zone Rating. Given his youth and relative inexperience, the Pirates were surely hoping to give him plenty of reps in the majors in order to see how he developed, but it now appears that 2023 is going to go down as a mostly lost season.
The young shortstop played nine games to open the year but suffered a left ankle fracture when attempting to score in a game against the White Sox, colliding with catcher Seby Zavala. The news of his surgery and expected absence were a tough blow, but it has long been hoped that he could return and get some more major league action before the winter arrived.
Now it’s looking less and less likely that he will get that opportunity. Even if his leg pain suddenly evaporated in the next week or so, he would still need to ramp up and go on a rehab assignment, effective redoing Spring Training. Since that process would take a few weeks and there’s just over a month left on the schedule, it’s possible that window will close on him. That’s surely frustrating for him on a personal level but also deprives the Pirates of another chance to evaluate Cruz and his development before the offseason, a process that now seems to be getting kicked down the road to next year.
The Bucs showed some flashes of emerging from their rebuild earlier this year but faded from contention and are now 57-69. The Cruz situation will be a notable unknown going into next year, as it still hasn’t been determined whether he’s a viable big league shortstop or if he would be better served moving to another position. They have some other options on the roster but Cruz remains the one with the highest ceiling, giving his obvious athleticism.
With Cruz out, the club gave some significant shortstop time to players like Rodolfo Castro and Tucupita Marcano, but Castro has since been traded to the Phillies and Marcano is out for the year due to ACL surgery. More recently, youngsters Alika Williams and Liover Peguero have been getting some time there. Williams is hitting .230/.309/.295 in a small sample of 25 games while Peguero has hit .241/.305/.437 in 28 major league contests, including one last year.
Both Williams and Peguero will still be optionable next year, so it’s possible the Pirates could go into 2024 planning on having Cruz getting the regular reps with those two behind him on the depth chart, either in the minors or on the bench at the major league level. They could also supplement that group with an offseason trade or a signing, bringing in a veteran for some extra security. A sudden improvement in Cruz’s health in the next few weeks could change things but it seems like the Pirates will go into the winter essentially back to where they were at the start of the year, with an uncertain future outlook at the shortstop position.
The best ability in MLB is the ability to stay on the field and perform consistently for long stretches, ala the Atlanta Braves, whose entire starting infield all played in that team’s first 113 games before one went on the IL recently. If you cannot stay on the field for 140+ games yearly, you’re simply not that valuable.
Atlanta has the good sauce going. Steady, consistent, and productive lineup, with their “old school” coaching staff. They’re going to be good for a good while.
Yes. I give major Kudos to the guys that “post up” and play thru injury. Guys like Pete Alonso, entire Braves team, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Mookie B., Freddie F. and many others. None of this should be interpreted as a knock on Oneill Cruz and hopefully he continues his career injury free.
is anyone in this brain dead chat aware that ..
O’Neil Cruz broke his ankle on a slide into home plat…
cannot play through a broken ankle, as far as I’m aware of
Yeah the guy broke his ankle, unless he’s got a history of injuries I dunno how you can consider him overhyped after less than a year in a majors. Too many people on here must watch the Stephen a smiths of the world and be like that guy says a lot of brilliant stuff.
Bravo! An astute baseball reality check. Well put, mlb fan!
It all has to do with luck and conditioning as far as players staying healthy. U talk about the Braves offense playing everyday it’s luck. Their top 2 starting pitchers going into the year have had long stints on the IL this year with fried and wright
“Do with luck”..You must be an analytics guy, because analytics guys think “bad luck” explains everything. In my opinion it’s more about mindset, pride, knowing the difference between “hurt” and “injured” and being able to play thru a bit of pain at times, as Mike Trout is currently doing. Staying on the field year after year is more than just “luck” and nowadays most all athletes are highly conditioned year round.
There are different kinds of injuries. Sometimes – Cruz’ broken foot – you just can’t play through it. There are sore shoulders etc. that can be played through. I am not sure if this thread is a generic discussion about a huge part of value is being on the field (I totally agree) or somehow implying Cruz should play through this and get on the field. I think this has to play out before any conclusion are drawn and also realize Pirates are out of the contention (see my Trout comment below). I don’t doubt one bit that Trout is playing through pain right now and I commend him for that. But this is their last Ohtani shot. But his overall track record since 2016 is not that of an ironman like the examples given and in some cases he may have been held out because Angels were not in a playoff hunt and the team (or Trout) wanted to not risk further injury as his value is greater hoping for a playoff run the next year. I think the Pirates will be extremely cautious given their playoff odds and if they were in a playoff hunt pushing him to DH only may have been more of a discussion.
Nah, some is just pain tolerance. Everyone has a different level. Not knocking anyone, just making the observation. Some are more brittle. Fractures and breaks are just more common for them. There are also accidents that occur (like when Santana wasn’t in position to tell O’Neill to slide) that are beyond anyone’s individual resilience. GMs need to be wary of those players with histories, like Rodon, and deGrom. Even trying to stay with healthy players (Prince Fielder) is no guarantee.
” Staying on the field year after year is more than just “luck””
He LITERALLY said that.
“The best ability in MLB is the ability to stay on the field and perform consistently for long stretches…If you cannot stay on the field for 140+ games yearly, you’re simply not that valuable.”
This is a common, and not very thoughtful, take.
I’d definitely rather have 81 games of Ohtani, or Betts, or Acuna, or Freeman than 162 games of, say, Jose Abreu.
Define “ jabtoni”, Little Dotard
Define rigatoni
I know what it means, it’s slang for being “ a loser”, as if anyone that brags about being “ Little” isn’t a jabroni himself
No reason at all to rush him back
Little Steve might be a little right in his assesment.
I wonder how well Little Stevie would do in a major league baseball game
Playing the role of a bat boy doesn’t count
What exactly is to be gained by rushing Cruz back to play in relatively meaningless September games? If he’s recovered then play him. If not, then get a head stsrt in next season.
And yet he’ll slobber all over Ohtani.
And what do Ohtani and Cruz have in common? Both are on teams that aren’t winning much. But somehow Ohtani is a God, while he’s leading his team down the toilet.
Come after me, cultists!
“Rigatoni”..Define why the host of MLB Network’s “High Heat”, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo can’t be bothered to host his own show more than once or twice a week? It’s really annoying to tune in and always find a co host while he’s over on ESPN’s “First Take”.
ESPN pays more? That’s my only guess.
Chwithtopher Wusso is a Jerry Lewis- like spastic who needs to be replaced permanently.
The Extremely Slow Paying Network? One of their radio hosts used to call them that.
Why would it be annoying to not be subjected to Russo?
I happen to like all the shows on MLB Network, except “Intentional Talk”.
Nevertheless, my question still stands.
I personally think the show is better without him.
Although nothing is as good as anything where Lauren Shehadi’s legs are involved.
“Legs are involved”…Omigod. Shehadi is a “hotty”. She’s one of the best things on MLB Network.
I mean…be thankful you’re not seeing “Mad dog”, maybe?
Might be better to just call this season a wash and get him ready for next spring training
Its really not going to change what the Pirates do. If anything, it gives them more flexibility as they can seek the best return in trades knowing Cruz can play anywhere.
Sounds like whoever conducted that surgery will not be patronized by the Pirates again.
Not his fault but MLB elevated him way higher than his game has justified so far.
Not so much MLB as the national baseball media that looks at statistics such as how fast can he run, how hard can he throw, how hard and far and deep can he hit the ball and has gone on to project him as a superstar.
Unfortunately the young man doesn’t know how to play baseball, and refuses to move off SS which he obviously can’t play (and at least 2 Pirates prospects can play beater). Might be the only position player in MLB that doesn’t knowhow to slide (among other things).
This is like looking at the NFL’s tryouts before the draft where players throw, jump, sprint, etc. and some guys get great scores but fail on the field of play.
At best he’s a designated hitter.
A pity Williams and Hahn were canned by the White Sox. He would have fit in perfectly with that administration.
Hey samuel, in your comparison to the NFL, you gave me warm fuzzy Mike Mamula #59 flies forever…..
Good memories…?
@sam not sure if you are watching the same player. Other than Defense kid is good. he might not live up to the hype but He can hit, is fast and has one of the strongest arms in baseball.
RF is probably his best landing spot to take advantage of that arm, similar to Davis who also has a cannon.
IF he can stay on the field he should be better than average.
For the sake of my fantasy team who will be keeping him for several years, please shut him down!
The Pirates stink, where is the rush back?
True the Bucs aren’t very good but they are on pace to improve in wins by 10 games from last year and much can be attributed by young pitchers, players and a mixture of veterans
Having suffered through two consective 100 loss seasons, an incresse of 10 wins puts them the right projectery
Hahaha, maybe I was a bit strong
Still though, where is the rush if the Priates are not going anywhere
The ankle is a tricky thing and nothing wrong with a fresh start for next year
There’s really no upside to trying to push the envelope on his recovery at this point. Hopefully he can get healthy and come back strong next season. Any player can get injured in a freak accident like this and not every player will have as smooth a recovery from major injury as some do. So much of his game is tied up in his legs being right so trying to come back to soon won’t do him or the pirates any favors. I’d rather teams and players be smart and take the long view rather than trying to live up to some macho image and play hurt risking diminished effectiveness on the field and the possible impact on the players long term health and ability to contribute in the future
It was not a “freak accident”.
The man doesn’t know how to run the bases or slide into home.
That play is made every single day of the baseball season and no one else has gotten hurt.
Kinda harsh. It looked to me like he adjusted to the catcher while in the air and landed funny. He’s also played baseball his whole life and swiped quite a few bags without injury so he probably knows a little something. Calling out a player after 1 weird injury is senseless. If it happens again and again I’ll agree.
It was an unusual injury yes. Hence me calling it a freak accident. Pretty much every type of play that results in injury in an individual instance is made every single day of the baseball season usually without injury so id say your just being a hater. Idk what u have against cruz but I’m sure it’s bs to say he doesn’t know how to do these things.
@Samuel plenty of players every year get hurt attempting to slide late. It’s a heat of the moment decision made in fraction of a second and a miscalculation. It happens to veterans occasionally as well.
It was a promising career. We will remember you.
@samuel
It was the responsibility of the on deck batter to be the home plate coach. If you watch a replay, their “veteran” addition, Carlos Santana, was missing in action. He never left the on deck circle, leaving Cruz to be surprised by the play. I’m sure Cruz will play it more safe in the future, but Santana’s leadership was sorely lacking.
So is he actually hurt or is he feeling soreness? Feeling soreness after being on the shelf for a long time doesn’t sound all that unusual. Is it an injury or is he choosing not to push through discomfort?
1. Hello there, nots.
2. Complete Med School.
and C. Ask Oneil Cruz.
Dan Enright: I’m afraid you’ve plateaued.
Cruz: What do you mean? You mean they don’t like me?
Collision with the catcher? More like Cruz didn’t slide and/or slide properly, resulting in a horrific injury.
That’s too bad.
Heckuvan interesting player to watch.
Too bad, was hoping to see what this kid could do over a full season. Hopefully he’s healthy in 2024.
My wife told me our relationship plateaued a long time ago.
Sucks he probably won’t come back this season, though I didn’t expect him to unless the Pirates were doing something miraclious past July. It’s probably best anyway if they let him rest up in the off-season and ease him back into action during ST.
Are you kidding? Overhyped?? He’s played half a season at most. He got a pretty severe leg injury and he’ll probably be back next year at full strength. His tools are off the charts, what he does with them remains to be seen.
raw power in mlb
1. Judge
2. Oneil Cruz
3. Pete Alonso
Only part i’m upset about is for his career. For the team, at this point probably for the best.. Getting some longer looks at some players is easier now.
Given the initial timeline had an expected return around mid-August and there hadn’t been any updates or progress recently this isn’t particularly surprising news. I imagine the team is going to want him to play winter ball in the Dominican if he gets healthy in time. Hope he starts getting some reps in RF in addition to SS though. Platoon Cruz and Henry Davis in RF next year with Cruz getting a start or two at SS a week, Davis catching once or twice a week and both getting DH duties once a week next season.
Never gonna happen. Not saying its a bad idea, but Shelton is too clueless to implement it
You’re right. How dare he not just shake off a shattered ankle.