Fri Jun 7 | 00:34 | Oneil Cruz Serves Up Combo Meal Thursday |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and a stolen base in an 11-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Cruz added a pair of runs and three RBI to his line, giving him an excellent evening at the dish. It hasn't been great of late for the talented infielder, who had gone 15 games in a row without a homer and 14 in a row without a steal before this one. Considering those are the two categories that fantasy managers drafted him for, it's been a bit of a disaster lately. That being said, if Cruz can find his stroke he can go on a tear that few other players can, making him a must-roster player even when he isn't doing much well. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed May 29 | 12:06 | Oneil Cruz Sitting Against Lefty For Game 1 |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz will take a seat on the bench for the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Detroit against the Tigers with a left-handed pitcher on the mound. Alika Williams will start at shortstop and will bat in the nine-hole against Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal. Fantasy managers should expect to have Cruz back for the second game of the twin bill to face right-hander Keider Montero, who will be making his MLB debut. The 25-year-old Cruz has been a little better in May with a .260 average (20-for-77) with four home runs, 11 RBI and a stolen base in 20 games played. His power/speed combination makes him relevant in all fantasy formats when he's on the field. Williams has very little offensive prowess and therefore should be avoided in DFS lineups against a tough southpaw. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sun May 26 | 12:21 | Oneil Cruz Getting The Day Off |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is getting the day off on Sunday in the series finale against the visiting Atlanta Braves. With Cruz retreating to the bench to rest up, Alika Williams will start at shortstop and bat in the nine-hole for the Bucs against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Especially in the nine-hole, the light-hitting Williams should be avoided in fantasy lineups in a really tough matchup. Cruz has been in a rut at the plate recently and will be given the day off against a tough left-hander. The 25-year-old has only five hits in his last 35 at-bats (.143) average with no home runs, one RBI and 17 strikeouts in nine games since May 15 to drop his season line to .147/.302/.421. Cruz is extremely strong and has one of the fastest swings in the game, but he's currently leading the league with 72 strikeouts in 205 plate appearances. |
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Kevin Gorman | RotoBaller.com |
Wed May 22 | 08:24 | Oneil Cruz Has Big Night In Victory |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz had a big night in Tuesday's victory versus the San Francisco Giants. Cruz went 3-for-5 on the evening with two doubles, one single and a RBI. The 6'7 shortstop brought plenty of thunder with the bat as his three hits were recorded at 121.5 mph, 120.4 mph, and 116.3 mph. Cruz has been hitting the ball hard this season, but has been up and down in the production department. Overall, Cruz has hit .260 with seven homers, 19 RBI and four stolen bases. Cruz has the ability to help across the board and Tuesday's showing is a perfect example of that, he just needs to be more consistent. Regardless, he remains a starting shortstop in most formats moving forward. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue May 7 | 14:25 | Oneil Cruz Out Of The Lineup |
Shortstop Oneil Cruz is not in the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. The Pirates shortstop will not be in the lineup due to Los Angeles starting left-hander Patrick Sandoval. Cruz, who bats left-handed, has struggled against left-handers this season, as he's slashing .132/.154/.211. With Cruz out of the lineup, Pittsburgh will be starting Alika Williams at shortstop, who will be batting ninth. Williams is slashing .275/.310/.400 this season. Cruz should be back in the lineup on Wednesday with a right-hander pitcher on the mound for the Angels. The shortstop will also be available off the bench as a pinch-hitter on Tuesday. |
Source: MLB | RotoBaller.com |
Tue Apr 30 | 18:59 | Oneil Cruz Resting On Tuesday |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. This appears to be a routine rest day for the left-handed slugger. Cruz is slashing .094/.121/.094 against left-handed pitchers this season, so it makes sense that they'd give him the night off against southpaw Alex Wood. It'll be Alika Williams batting ninth and playing shortstop on Tuesday. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sat Apr 20 | 13:45 | Oneil Cruz Slides Into Eight-Hole Saturday |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz has been slipped down to the eight-hole for Saturday's contest against the Boston Red Sox and right-hander Kutter Crawford. The 25-year-old has hit out of the seven spot on occasion this season, but the eight-hole is the lowest spot in the order he has started at so far while he has largely served as the team's leadoff hitter. However, he's off to a sluggish start at the plate, hitting .222 with three homers, one stolen base, and a .605 OPS across his first 85 trips to the plate on the young season. Even with a massive 40% strikeout rate against only a 4.7% walk rate, fantasy managers should continue to exercise patience, as Cruz ranks in the 88th percentile in average exit velocity and the 89th percentile in hard-hit rate to this point in the season. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue Apr 16 | 16:25 | Oneil Cruz Resting Against Mets |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is getting the day off on Tuesday against the New York Mets. In his absence, Alika Williams will get the nod at shortstop and will hit in the nine-hole against Mets veteran left-hander Jose Quintana. Cruz will get a little breather against the left-handed hurler after going hitless in his last nine at-bats with seven strikeouts in the last two contests. The 25-year-old Dominican is now hitting .232 (16-for-69) on the year with three home runs, six RBI, one steal and eight runs scored in his first 17 games of 2024. Williams, 25, lacks power and will be a low-upside deep sleeper pick for DFS lineups on Tuesday night. He's hit just .212 (25-for-118) with no homers and eight RBI in 51 MLB games to date going back to last season. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue Apr 9 | 12:01 | Oneil Cruz Sitting Out Tuesday |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is getting a breather on Tuesday as the team takes on the visiting Detroit Tigers. With Cruz starting on the bench, Alika Williams will man shortstop for the Bucs and bat ninth in the order against Tigers right-hander Casey Mize, with infielder Jared Triolo in the leadoff spot. This will be the 25-year-old Cruz's second day off of the 2024 season. Cruz is a must-start fantasy asset anytime he's in the lineup, and he's off to a good start this year after missing most of last year due to an ankle injury. In his first 11 games, Cruz is batting .304 (14-for-46) with two home runs, a double, four RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored in 49 plate appearances. Triolo will be worth a look as a low-cost DFS sleeper in the leadoff spot with Cruz out on Tuesday. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sat Apr 6 | 00:41 | Oneil Cruz Stays Hot With Long Ball |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz launched his second home run of the season in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, adding two singles in the defeat. Cruz's long ball was a 395-foot missile to deep right center to get Pittsburgh on the board in the fifth inning. Now slashing .344/.382/.531 with two homers and three RBI over 32 at-bats this year, the towering 25-year-old infielder continues to flash the intrigue that makes him such an exciting fantasy prospect. Cruz slashed .261/.333/.739 with seven big flies and 14 RBI during 46 spring training ABs, and that momentum appears to be carrying over into the regular season. The lefty-hitting Cruz gets two more right-handers on Saturday and Sunday in this series with the O's, hitting a stratospheric .429 (9-for-21) and with both of his bombs coming against righties this season. |
Source: ESPN.com | RotoBaller.com |
Mon Apr 1 | 15:55 | Oneil Cruz Hitting Near Bottom Of The Lineup Again |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is starting at shortstop and is hitting seventh in the batting order on Monday against the Washington Nationals and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Cruz got a day off on Sunday and hasn't hit higher than sixth in the team's batting order so far in 2024, which isn't what fantasy managers want to see. In the early going, Cruz has gone 5-for-16 with a home run and two RBI. While he remains one of the most impressive young shortstops in the game, his fantasy value will be limited by a lack of RBI opportunities if he continues to hit near the bottom of Pittsburgh's batting order all year long. Now that he's back in the lineup for the start of the series against Washington, fantasy managers in single-year leagues need to get him back in their lineups. |
Source: Pittsburgh Pirates | RotoBaller.com |
Sun Mar 31 | 12:04 | Oneil Cruz, Henry Davis Sitting For Pirates |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz and catcher/outfielder Henry Davis will start on the bench for Sunday's series finale versus the Miami Marlins. Alika Williams is playing the 6 and batting eighth, while Jason Delay will do the catching for Pittsburgh while hitting in the nine-hole. Neither Williams nor Delay will be particularly attractive DFS sleepers on Sunday against Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers. Cruz went 5-for-14 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in the first three games of the season before getting his first day off. The 25-year-old missed most of last year due to a fractured ankle but is one of the bright young ascending talents in the game at the shortstop position. Davis started behind the dish for the Bucs for each of their first three games, going 2-for-12 with a run scored and three walks. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Thu Mar 28 | 16:04 | Oneil Cruz Batting Sixth On Opening Day |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is hitting sixth on Opening Day on Thursday against the Miami Marlins and left-hander Jesus Luzardo. Cruz is probably going to hit leadoff for the Bucs against right-handed pitchers, but he's going to start in the six-hole on Opening Day against a southpaw. It's not what fantasy managers really want to see and isn't good for his DFS value to kick things off. Instead of the 25-year-old atop the batting order on Thursday, it will be outfielder Connor Joe in that spot for Pittsburgh. The 2023 season was a lost one for Cruz after he fractured his ankle on April 9, but there's still plenty to like from this emerging shortstop talent because of his power/speed profile at an unorthodox 6-foot-7, 215 pounds at the 6. |
Source: Pittsburgh PG - Jason Mackey | RotoBaller.com |
Mon Mar 18 | 18:57 | Oneil Cruz Blasts Two Homers |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz continued his impressive power display during Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 3-for-6 with two home runs and six RBI during Monday's blowout victory. Cruz is now tied for the spring lead with seven home runs already. Fantasy managers who were lucky enough to draft him before the hype train should be excited. Now, fantasy managers will have to pay the price to get Cruz, but he looks like he's the real deal. It feels like a 30-HR and 30-SB season could be a real possibility for him. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Mar 13 | 17:48 | Oneil Cruz Blasts Fifth Homer |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz continued his power display during Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The young slugger belted his fifth home run of the spring during Wednesday's blowout loss. This spring, Cruz is hitting .292 with five dingers and eight RBI in 24 at-bats. The Pirates could have a breakout star on their hands if Cruz can stay healthy in 2024. This hot start to camp is certainly going to raise his status on draft boards. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sun Mar 10 | 16:45 | Oneil Cruz Enjoys Massive Day Sunday |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz had a big day at the plate on Sunday in a Grapefruit League game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 25-year-old went 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI, continuing what has been a big spring for the young infielder. Cruz is now hitting .278 with three homers, one stolen base, and a 1.187 OPS across 22 plate appearances this spring. Limited to just nine games last season due a broken ankle suffered in just his ninth game of the season in 2023, Cruz has hit .237 with 19 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a .751 OPS across his first 410 plate appearances in the big leagues. He owns an appetizing combination of power and speed that fantasy managers should covet in drafts this spring. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sun Feb 25 | 12:34 | Oneil Cruz Making Spring Debut Sunday |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is making his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles and is batting leadoff and playing shortstop. It's great to see Cruz playing in games again after he fractured his left ankle early last season. The 25-year-old's injury required season-ending surgery in 2023. Cruz is fully healthy now, though, and will be Pittsburgh's starting shortstop. His size (6-foot-7, 215 pounds) is unorthodox for a shortstop, but the left-handed-hitting Dominican has a lot of upside at a premium position if he can stay healthy for a full season. In his three years in the big leagues over 98 games (410 plate appearances), Cruz has hit .237/.302/.449 with 19 home runs, 61 RBI and 13 stolen bases. He should easily be a top-10 fantasy shortstop at the end of the year if he can avoid another injury. |
Source: Pittsburgh Pirates | RotoBaller.com |
Sat Jan 6 | 12:16 | Oneil Cruz Healthy For The Start Of The Season |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is healthy heading into the 2024 season, according to manager Derek Shelton. "He's healthy. He's moving around. That's a really encouraging sign for everybody who's a Pirates fan," Shelton told reporters. The 25-year-old shortstop fractured his left ankle back in April of the '23 season and missed the entire year as a result. It's been a long road to recovery but he's now looking primed for the 2024 campaign. Cruz has as much upside as anyone at the SS position but injuries have plagued him so far early in his career. He has a .237/.302/.449 batting line to go along with 19 home runs, 61 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 410 plate appearances over three seasons. He's an intriguing fantasy player due to his blend of power and speed but the hype could get out of control if he remains healthy and has a solid spring training. |
Source: Jason Mackey of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | RotoBaller.com |
Mon Dec 4 2023 | 22:46 | Oneil Cruz Appears In Instructional Games |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) has appeared in instructional games this offseason in the Dominican Republic. "Watching his at-bats made me smile," manager Derek Shelton said. Cruz is rehabbing from a fractured left ankle that he suffered way back in early April that knocked him out for the rest of the 2023 season. As long as the 25-year-old doesn't encounter any setbacks this winter or next spring, he should be ready for Opening Day as Pittsburgh's starting shortstop with a bunch of fantasy upside. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Dominican has impressive power and speed at a premium position, but he has also yet to play more than 87 games in a single season in his three years in the majors to this point. In 98 career games, he's hit .237 with 19 home runs, 61 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 410 plate appearances. |
Source: Pittsburgh PG - Jason Mackey | RotoBaller.com |
Fri Nov 10 2023 | 01:15 | Oneil Cruz Could Play Winter Ball |
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is in Florida rehabbing his surgically repaired left ankle. He has been hitting, running and throwing and has even played in some simulated game action. General manager Ben Cherington said winter ball in the Dominican Republic is something the team is considering for Cruz, and a decision could be made in the coming days. "Based on all the information I have right now, yes," Cherington said when asked if he still expects Cruz to be 100 percent and ready by the start of spring training in 2024. The 25-year-old should open the 2024 regular season as Pittsburgh's regular shortstop, barring any setbacks this winter. |
Source: Pittsburgh PG - Jason Mackey | RotoBaller.com |