Photo provided by Eddie Provident
Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday. Cruz has been out since June 10 with left hand fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures.
The injury paused a solid start to the season for the 27-year-old. In 64 games, Cruz batted .264/.350/.472 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs and 44 RBI. At the time of his injury, he was leading the league with 21 stolen bases.
One of the reasons Cruz has had a bounce-back season is due to the strides he’s made against left-handed pitching. Cruz is slashing .312/.361/.507 with four home runs in 83 plate appearances against southpaws. As a team, the Pirates have struggled against left-handed pitching this year.
Cruz appeared in 57 games in center field and made six appearances at designated hitter.
Cruz is one of several notable Pirate regulars currently on the injured list. The Pirates are also without shortstop Konnor Griffin and first baseman/right fielder Ryan O’Hearn, while starting pitcher Mitch Keller is out for the season.
In Cruz’s absence, the Pirates have relied on Jake Mangum as the everyday center fielder. While Mangum has done a solid job filling in, Pittsburgh will be eager to get back the dynamic player that Cruz is. If there are no setbacks during his rehab assignment, he should be back soon.
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