Oneil Cruz (hand) goes hitless in rehab contest

Cruz played seven innings in center field on Sunday and will now be evaluated by the Pirates. His results haven’t been great in Triple-A, but if the organization deems that he’s healthy enough to return, we could see Cruz back in the lineup this week.

Cruz is on the precipice of returning to Pittsburgh after hitting the injured list with multiple non-displaced fractures in his left hand back in early June. The 27-year-old fantasy standout will likely require a couple additional tune-up contests to get back up to speed in the wake of a lengthy layoff. He logged seven innings in center field on Friday, his first game action in nearly two months. There’s a strong possibility he’s ready to return at some point next week.

Cruz has been sidelined since June 10th with non-displaced fractures in his hand. Given that it’s been almost two months since he played in a game, we should expect him to need some time to get his timing and rhythm back at the plate. However, the Pirates are also now 4.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot, so they may not have the luxury of holding Cruz out for a few more weeks.

That means Cruz will begin hitting in addition to the running he’s been doing. We’ll see how his fractured left hand responds to hitting high velocity, but assuming all goes well, we could see him begin a rehab assignment as soon as next week.

The procedural move doesn’t impact Cruz’s return timeline very much as he’s now eligible to come off the injured list on August 8. The 27-year-old fantasy standout has progressed to swinging a bat as he works his way back from a pair of left hand fractures. He should make it back to Pittsburgh’s lineup at some point in early August following a rehab assignment.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that he believed Cruz would be back soon after the All-Star break, so the fact that he’s swinging a bat now would make sense with that timeline. He will need to progress to facing live pitching and then begin rehab games next week or the week after. It’s looking like the Pirates will get their star back before the end of the month.

Cherington mentioned that both players “are progressing well in Florida, but both will be sidelined until after the All-Star Break.” The team hopes that they will both be back in the lineup “not too long after the break.” Cruz has been out since June 10 with non-displaced fractures in his hand. He was originally expected to miss “at least one month,” which will be in the middle of this week. He could likely begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of weeks and, assuming he can swing without pain, be back in the Pirates lineup soon after. With both Horwitz and Cruz back, the Pirates may have to be creative to find at-bats for surging Esmerlyn Valdez and Tyler Callihan.

Cruz is expected to miss at least one month, reports Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It’s a massive loss for the Pirates and fantasy managers, as Cruz was putting together a monster campaign, slashing .264/.350/.472 with 14 homers, 44 RBI and 21 steals in 283 plate appearances over 64 games. He’s still striking out a ton, but has made some serious strides against left-handed pitching, evolving into an upper-echelon fantasy contributor in the process. There isn’t an official timetable from the Pirates, but fantasy managers should anticipate Cruz remaining sidelined until after next month’s All-Star break.

Jake Mangum takes over in center field. Presumably, the decision to hold Cruz out of the lineup is directly related to a hand laceration that he suffered on a slide into home plate last weekend against Atlanta. There should be an additional update on his status following Tuesday’s showdown, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for the moment.

Oneil Cruz is also back in center field and hitting sixth after a one-game absence due to a hand laceration. There was some serious initial concern after Lowe fouled a ball off his right leg during Saturday’s game against the Braves. However, he somehow managed to avoid serious injury. The 31-year-old veteran is back at second base and hitting second against Dodgers starter Eric Lauer on Tuesday night at PNC Park.