Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday that shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) will not return this year, which doesn't come as a surprise considering the fact that Cruz had yet to begin a minor-league rehab assignment. Cruz had surgery early in the season to fix a fractured left fibula and had some setbacks during the rehab process. Barring more setbacks in the offseason, the 24-year-old should be fully ready for the start of spring training next year. Despite playing in only nine games in 2023, Cruz has plenty of long-term fantasy appeal at a premium position in Pittsburgh. In 98 games played in his three years in the big leagues, he's hit .237 (54-for-372) with 19 home runs, 61 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 54 runs scored.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (foot) has "plateaued" in his rehab and has stopped his running progression due to left-foot general soreness, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. "It's tough to tell right now, but we are running out of days," Tomczyk said when asked about the possibility that Cruz can still play again this year. The 24-year-old is trying to return from surgery on his left foot, and he hasn't played since getting hurt on April 9. It's bad news for those that have held onto Cruz all year in redraft leagues, and it's now looking more likely that he won't play at all again in 2023. Alika Williams and Liover Peguero have been sharing playing time at shortstop of late in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) started a formal running program earlier this week, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Cruz is slowly improving from his surgically repaired ankle and has been throwing and doing light fielding work in the last few weeks as well. The 24-year-old should eventually go on a minor-league rehab assignment and is fully expected to play again for the Bucs in 2023. When healthy, Cruz will be the club's primary shortstop, and he has plenty of upside in all fantasy leagues. The 6-foot-7 Dominican infielder clubbed 17 home runs, drove in 54 and stole 10 bases in 87 games for Pittsburgh in his first real taste of the big leagues in 2022, showing his impressive power/speed combination.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan on Sunday that "all signs point to shortstop Oneil Cruz (leg) playing major-league games in Pittsburgh this season." However, Cherington added that Cruz is more likely to return in September, not August, as originally expected. The 24-year-old is walking without a limp and is hitting soft toss. He's able to put full weight on his ankle and is playing catch out to 120 feet, although he hasn't started a formal running program. Cruz has been on the injured list since April 10 after fracturing his left fibula in a collision while running the bases. When he's back to full health, Cruz will return to starting duties at shortstop for the Pirates.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) continues to make progress and could start a minor-league rehab assignment in August, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. In other injury news for Pirates infielders, Tucupita Marcano (knee) will have season-ending surgery to fix a torn ACL that he suffered rounding third base on July 24 against the San Diego Padres. Also, Ji Hwan Bae (ankle) will have an extended rehab assignment so that he can play multiple positions. Cruz has been out since fracturing his left ankle on April 9, and there remains no specific timetable for the 24-year-old's return, although they expect him to return this year. The good news is he has already started to field groundballs and play catch up to 150 feet.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (leg) is playing catch up to 75 feet and is gaining confidence, strength and range of motion in his rehab from surgery in early April to fix a fractured fibula. Cruz still has a long ways to go before the Pirates think about returning him from the injured list. Barring a setback, the 24-year-old shortstop could resume playing in live games in August. Given his immense talent and extreme upside at a premium position, Cruz needs to remain stashed in all fantasy formats despite his long recovery. He had only played in nine games in 2023 before suffering the devastating injury, and he had gone 8-for-32 (.250) with a homer, four RBI and three stolen bases. Prospect Nick Gonzales, Tucupita Marcano and Rodolfo Castro have all seen time at the 6 in the last week for the Pirates.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) will be out of his walking boot in a couple of weeks, according to MLB.com, and then he'll be ready to start to regain his strength back in his ankle. The 24-year-old has been out of action since April 9 after sliding into home plate and fracturing his left fibula, before landing on the 60-day injured list. Prior to the ailment, Cruz was hitting .250 with one homer, seven runs, four RBI, and three steals over nine games. The flashy infielder still has a ton of steps to complete before he can return to the Pirates and likely won't be ready until at least early August.

Updating a previous report, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) had surgery Sunday night at Allegheny General Hospital by Dr. Greg Altman and Dr. Darren Frank to stabilize a fractured left fibula while also addressing an injury to the syndesmosis. The Pirates expect Cruz to return to action in four months. The 24-year-old was injured while sliding into home plate on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox, and he'll now miss most of the 2023 season. It's a really tough break for Cruz, the Pirates and his fantasy managers, as he's one of the most exciting young shortstops in the game. For now, continue to stash him in all leagues, but those in single-year leagues might not get much out of him the rest of the way. Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae will fight for playing time at the 6 moving forward with Cruz sidelined.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) underwent surgery on his fractured left ankle late Sunday night, according to a source. The good news is that the surgery didn't include anything more than his ankle, but Cruz's timeline appears to be set at two months. The impressive young 24-year-old hurt himself while sliding into home plate in Sunday's game against the Chicago White Sox and will now be on the shelf for the next 10 to 12 weeks. Fantasy managers need to stash Cruz in all formats because of his high-end upside at a premium position. In the meantime, Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae are the most likely candidates to see playing time at the 6 for the Pirates. They're worth a look in deeper fantasy formats.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) exited Sunday's meeting with the White Sox after a home plate collision with catcher Seby Zavala. Skipper Derek Shelton provided an update postgame. However, the news isn't good, with Shelton reporting that Oneil fractured his ankle. The 24-year-old has had a fantastic season, batting .250 with four RBI, three stolen bases, and one home run. Unfortunately, he'll now be out for a while, meaning Rodolfo Castro may be handling things at short for the foreseeable future.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (face) returned to the starting lineup on Friday against the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Lucas Giolito, starting at shortstop and hitting leadoff. Cruz was removed from the game early on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox after he collided with third baseman Rafael Devers on a slide into third base late in the game. The 24-year-old had the day off on Thursday, though, and was good to go for Friday's series opener against the White Sox. Cruz is one of the best young shortstops in the game and entered Friday's contest with a .261 average (6-for-23) with a double, home run, three RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base in six games played.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (undisclosed) left Wednesday's game early against the Boston Red Sox after colliding with third baseman Rafael Devers during a slide into third base in the seventh inning. A trainer appeared to be looking at Cruz's left eye after Devers accidentally kicked him in the head while he was sliding. Before leaving, the 24-year-old went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. Fantasy managers will want to check back for more updates on the specific injury for Cruz. The 6-foot-7 shortstop entered Wednesday's ballgame hitting .263 (5-for-19) in the early going with a double, home run and three RBI in his first five games. Rodolfo Castro moved over from second base to shortstop after Cruz left.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz batted sixth during Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He had another strong showing, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and is now 3-for-6 with a pair of walks to begin the season. Left-hander Nick Lodolo was on the mound for the Reds and was likely the reason manager Derek Shelton dropped Cruz in the order after he led off Opening Day. The talented 24-year-old struggled mightily against southpaws in 2022, producing just a .532 OPS over 101 at-bats. But Cruz is still expected to lead off on most occasions and improve on his .233 average, 17 homers, and 10 steals across 87 games from last season.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz said his goals in 2023 include having a 30-30 or 40-40 season. "The one that is going to be under my control is to play hard and put on a good show for the people in Pittsburgh who go to see me play," Cruz said. The 24-year-old Dominican hit .233/.294/.450 with a .744 OPS, 17 home runs, 54 RBI, 45 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 87 games in his first real exposure to the big leagues in 2022. Cruz may not be a 30-30 or 40-40 player just yet, but his mix of power and speed at a premium position is certainly enticing for fantasy managers. He suffered a minor ankle injury in the Dominican Winter League, but he should be ready for Opening Day. Cruz is currently listed just outside RotoBaller's top-10 shortstop rankings at No. 11.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) suffered what is believed to be a mild ankle injury while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, according to sources. Cruz will be out at least through the weekend as he undergoes further testing. Because it's expected to be a minor ankle injury, Cruz should be just fine heading into spring training and the 2023 regular season. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound shortstop just wrapped up his first full season in the major leagues with the Pirates and finished with a .233/.294/.450 slash line, a .744 OPS, 17 home runs, 54 RBI, 45 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 361 plate appearances and 87 games. If the 24-year-old can continue to limit the strikeouts, he will continue to be one of the most exciting young players in baseball at a premium position.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz had a nice day at the plate in Monday's 8-3 win over the Reds. Cruz went 4-for-5 with four singles and two runs scored. He also made a fielding error. The 23-year-old rookie has shown flashes of his immense potential but has also shown that he has plenty of things to work on, slashing .225/.281/.454 with 17 home runs, 51 RBI, eight stolen bases out of 12 attempts, and a 36.7% strikeout rate this season. Cruz will likely be an intriguing fantasy option once again next season. The power and speed combination is apparent, but Cruz will need to cut down on the strikeouts to take his overall profile to the next level.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz is not in the starting lineup on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Cruz is just getting a normal day of rest against Reds left-hander Mike Minor. The 23-year-old Dominican is hitting just .227/.275/.462 on the year in 251 at-bats, but he's been red-hot in the month of September. Cruz has gone 14-for-38 (.368) with three home runs, nine RBI, five runs scored and a stolen base in nine games since Sept. 2, so fantasy managers will want to get him back into their lineups on Tuesday. Kevin Newman is at shortstop and is batting leadoff on Monday against Minor. Newman could be a DFS sleeper out of the leadoff spot, but he has just one home run on the year in 240 at-bats for the Bucs. He's gone 29-for-79 (.367) with no homers, seven doubles and seven RBI against lefties in 2022.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz went 1-for-4 in the 7-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night with a three-run home run, a run scored, a walk and a strikeout. While Cruz certainly has plenty of upside with the bat, he's hit just .200/.253/.410 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, 25 runs scored and six stolen bases in 221 plate appearances and 56 games for the Bucs in 2022. He's gone 15-for-79 (.190) with five long balls, 11 RBI, eight runs scored and 37 strikeouts in 22 games in the month of August. Fantasy managers aren't happy with all of those strikeouts, but his power/speed combination is enough to make him worthy of being rostered in all fantasy formats down the stretch.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is not in the starting lineup on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. It will be Cruz's first day off since being called up to make his season debut last Monday. In his first 27 at-bats of the year over six games, the 6-foot-7 shortstop has gone 7-for-27 (.259) with no homers, seven RBI, four runs scored and one stolen base. The 23-year-old should be the Pirates primary shortstop the rest of the way and deserves to be rostered in all fantasy leagues. Diego Castillo is starting at shortstop and batting cleanup on Sunday against Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan. The rookie infielder has seven home runs and 18 RBI in his first 59 major league contests, but he's also hitting .197/.240/.348 with 48 strikeouts in 178 at-bats.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie shortstop Oneil Cruz is hitting sixth in the batting order for the second straight day on Tuesday against Chicago Cubs right-hander Matt Swarmer. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound shortstop made his big-league season debut on Monday against the Cubs and went 2-for-5 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored in the 12-1 blowout win. Cruz has five-tool potential at a premium position and should be rostered in all fantasy leagues at this point after he was called up last weekend. The 23-year-old is the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he had nine home runs, 35 RBI, 40 runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 55 games for Triple-A Indianapolis before joining the Pirates. Cruz should be the Bucs primary shortstop the rest of the season.