Pirates’ Oneil Cruz Out 10-12 Weeks After Undergoing Ankle Surgery
Despite a strong start, winning six of their first nine games of 2023, the Pittsburgh Pirates woke up Monday morning with little to celebrate as they’ll be without star shortstop Oneil Cruz indefinitely.
Cruz, who made his highly-anticipated MLB debut in October 2021, underwent left ankle surgery following Sunday’s 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review added to that report, saying Cruz will likely be sidelined for 10-12 weeks following his procedure. As a result, the 24-year-old is expected to be placed on the injured list in the coming days.
The Pirates’ young phenom, going 0-for-2 with a walk in Sunday’s series finale against the White Sox, was removed from the game in the sixth inning after sliding awkwardly into catcher Seby Zavala at home plate.
Cruz was attempting to score on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ weakly-hit grounder to third baseman Yoán Moncada, hustling down the third base foul line as Moncada started his wind-up towards home. Once Zavala received the high throw, Cruz tried to avoid the tag but didn’t start his slide until he was within just a few feet of the White Sox backstop.
That indecisiveness ultimately led to a collision between Cruz and Zavala, with the young shortstop’s leg bending underneath his body, causing him to call out in pain. But that didn’t stop Zavala from expressing his displeasure about the situation.
Chicago’s catcher started yelling at Cruz while he was on the ground in severe pain, which Carlos Santana took exception to, prompting the veteran slugger to defend his teammate. A shoving match quickly ensued, causing both benches to clear at Guaranteed Rate Field.
It wasn’t long before teammates separated Santana and Zavala, allowing cooler heads to prevail. No ejections proved necessary after the intensity dissipated.
Pirates players were understandably heartbroken to see Cruz helped off the field, as he struggled to put any weight on his left leg while bench coach Don Kelly and physical therapist Seth Steinhauer ushered him into the clubhouse.
Losing Cruz for an extended period is a significant blow for Pittsburgh, creating a massive hole in the infield and atop their lineup – a vacancy that won’t be easy to fill.
Rodolfo Castro will likely be the next man up, transitioning as the club’s everyday shortstop after compiling 155 innings there in 2022. The 23-year-old is off to a slow start this season, as he’s 3-for-17 (.176 AVG) with one extra-base hit across nine games.
Rookie Ji Hwan Bae, a versatile defender capable of playing second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield, could also spend time at short. The Pirates will also likely promote one of Tucupita Marcano, Mark Mathias or Chris Owings from Triple-A Indianapolis.
“We have to keep going and the next person that comes in needs to step up,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said post-game. “I think the one thing that we’ve talked about throughout the year that is different this year than other years is we have depth. And I think that’s important. Obviously, losing Oneil is a blow, because he’s a big part of what we do on both sides of the ball. The flip side of that, because of the depth we’ve created over the last couple years, we’re probably in a better spot to handle it than we have been previously.”
At 6-foot-7, 220-pounds, Cruz features one of baseball’s most unique frames. Not only do balls come off his bat at over 100 mph, but his incredible arm strength also allows him to throw 98-mph lasers to first base, positioning him among the game’s brightest young stars.
Since debuting, the left-hander has hit .237/.302/.449 with 19 home runs, 61 RBIs and a 107 wRC+ over 98 career big-league games. Strikeouts were his biggest weakness last season, as evidenced by his 34.9 percent rate – an area he hopes to improve in 2023.
But with Cruz sidelined for at least a few months, his development will now be on hold likely until June or July.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Minda Haas Kuhlmann. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.