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.

Robert Murray FanSided.com has reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates will finally call up shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz on Monday. It is a long-awaited promotion for one of the top prospects in the game. The Pirates had no reason to keep Cruz in the minors, but it appears that the Super Two deadline has passed and the 6'7 hitter will be in a Pirates uniform for the foreseeable future. Just 23 years old, Cruz hit .233 with nine home runs, 35 RBI and 11 stolen bases for Triple-A Indianapolis. Cruz offers both power and speed from the left side of the plate and should be given everyday opportunities for the struggling Pirates. With his ability to help across the board and at a position that doesn't provide much depth, managers should be running to the waiver wire in all formats that he is available.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz could make his 2022 season debut with the Pirates on Friday when they begin a seven-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. Cruz recently returned to Triple-A Indianapolis after missing some time with an ankle injury, but he's back now and has nine home runs, 33 RBI and 11 stolen bases despite a batting average of just .236 in 49 games for Indianapolis. The Pirates are committed to their youth movement this year during their rebuild, and the 6-foot-7 23-year-old shortstop could be the next prospect -- No. 3 overall in Pittsburgh per MLB Pipeline -- to join the big-league squad this year. Cruz made his major league debut in 2021 and went 3-for-9 with a home run and three RBI in two games.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 ankle sprain. It's a shame as Cruz has been performing well after a slow start. The Pirates have been calling up a lot of their young guys, but for whatever reason have played things slow with their top prospect, Cruz and now it may be longer with his recent injury. More should be known on his timetable over the course of the next couple of days, but it appears that the young talent may have escaped a serious injury. Cruz is hitting .213 with six homeruns, 26 RBI and 10 stolen bases for Triple-A Indianapolis, but had a strong month of May after a slow start in April. When healthy and if promoted, Cruz would be worth rostering in all formats.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz continued to make a case to be promoted to the big leagues with another good performance on Tuesday. The 23-year-old went 1-for-5 for Triple-A Indianapolis with a two-run home run, three RBI and a walk. Cruz had a slow April, but has shown up in May with four home runs, 17 RBI and a two stolen bases. For the season, he is now hitting .197 with five homers, 25 RBI and nine stolen bases. At 6'7, Cruz may ultimately play a different position. Regardless of position, the lefty hitter has shown the promise of one of the best offensive prospects in the game. With not much in his way at the big-league level, it should only be a matter of time before he is in a Pirates uniform. He should be on the radar of managers in all formats.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz continues to have baseball fans everywhere question why he didn't break camp with the squad to open the 2022 season. Cruz, 23, is one of the top prospects at his position and continued to add to his early season success with a 2-for-3 performance that featured a double and triple in Wednesday's victory for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. With the strong showing, Cruz is now hitting .300 with six runs, two RBI and a pair of stolen bases in just six games. The big left-hander provides plenty of pop to his bat and improved on his plate discipline this past season. That allowed him to hit a career best .310 in 2021 between Double-A and Triple-A with 17 home runs and 19 stolen bases. Shortstop may ultimately not be his main position with his tall frame, but the Pirates are running out of excuses to not promote the youngster. Cruz should be up sooner than later for the Pirates and is worth rostering in all formats when that happens.

The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday and also reassigned left-hander Cam Alldred and right-hander Beau Sulser to minor league camp. Cruz was swinging the bat well in the Grapefruit League, but the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, will begin the 2022 season in the minors. The 23-year-old made it up to the big leagues for two games last year and has only played six games at Triple-A, so it wouldn't hurt for him to get a bit more seasoning on the farm. Barring an injury, Cruz should be back in the majors sooner than later and could see most of the playing time down the stretch over Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz will soon play some outfield in camp, starting with left field. "The fact that PNC plays so big, you'll probably see him in left field first because of how athletic he is. But I think he's athletic enough that he can play any of the three," Shelton said. Cruz has been swinging it early in spring training, but he could still open the season at Triple-A. Outfield eligibility could make him even more intriguing, but the 23-year-old is still likely to see most of his playing time at the 6. Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker could begin the season splitting time for the Pirates at shortstop, but Cruz is easily the most attractive fantasy player of the trio in redraft leagues in 2022.