Pittsburgh Pirates infielder/outfielder Oneil Cruz and third baseman Jared Triolo are both out of the lineup for Friday's series finale against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Billy Cook will get the start in center field and will bat in the nine-hole, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa manning third base and batting sixth against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Kiner-Falefa has one hit in three career at-bats versus Rodon. The 25-year-old Cruz will get a day of rest against a southpaw pitcher. The Dominican has hit just .227 (32-for-141) against lefties this year with six of his 21 home runs on the season. Cruz recently made the full-time transition from shortstop to center field in Pittsburgh and has also reached the 20-20 milestone for the first time in 2024 in his fourth year in the big leagues. Cruz enters play on Friday slashing .263/.325/.456 with a .781 OPS, 21 homers, 76 RBI and 22 thefts in 143 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Reds. The home run was his 20th of the year, giving the 25-year-old his first 20/20 season of his young career. Despite the achievement, Cruz is slashing just .196/.281/.357 in September after a hot August in which he slashed .389/.449/.537. Overall on the season, the Dominican has been productive even with a high strikeout rate (30.9%), putting together a .267-20-75-70-22 line over 138 games with a .336 wOBA and 113 wRC+, making him a solid multi-category contributor for fantasy.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) is starting in center field and is hitting third for the Bucs on Thursday against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Erick Fedde at Busch Stadium. Cruz has been out of the starting lineup since Sunday, when he left the contest against the Kansas City Royals early due to discomfort in his left ankle. The 25-year-old's ankle injury was never considered to be serious, and he got a pinch-hit appearance in Tuesday's game. Cruz is fading down the stretch after just being moved to center field full time in Pittsburgh, but he's on the cusp of his first 20-20 season in his fourth year in the big leagues. In 14 games in September, he's gone 9-for-49 (.184) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI and 17 strikeouts in 56 plate appearances. In three career at-bats against Fedde, Cruz has a homer and one RBI.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) remains out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday at Busch Stadium against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. Michael Taylor will man center field for the Bucs and will hit ninth against Cardinals right-handed veteran Lance Lynn. Cruz left Sunday's contest against the Kansas City Royals early with soreness in his left ankle and has missed the last two games as a result. For now, fantasy managers can continue to consider the 25-year-old day-to-day. The Pirates recently made the move to put Cruz in center field full time, which has allowed Nick Gonzalez to shift over to shortstop and the Bucs to recall infield prospect Nick Yorke. Taylor won't be very attractive as a DFS sleeper in the nine-hole, but he is hitting .294 in his career with an .804 OPS, a home run and an RBI in 17 career at-bats against Lynn.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This comes as little surprise after Cruz was forced to exit early during Sunday's game due to an ankle issue. It's the same ankle that Cruz fractured last season, so the Pirates aren't taking any chances. For now, Cruz is considered as day-to-day, so hopefully he'll be back in the lineup later this week. In the meantime, Billy Cook will cover center field and bat ninth versus right-hander Andre Pallante. Cook has been quiet with the bat during his brief time in the MLB and can be avoided as a streaming option.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) left early during Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Cruz left the game after slipping in the outfield, but is considered as day-to-day. Manager Derek Shelton said Cruz was pulled for precautionary reasons and is dealing with ankle discomfort. This sounds like a day-to-day type of issue that shouldn't require a trip to the injured list. Cruz is still getting comfortable with his new spot in the outfield, but the Pirates want to see him out there long term. Michael A. Taylor replaced Cruz in center field on Sunday. Taylor will likely see more time out there until Cruz is back, but he doesn't offer much value with his .190 batting average.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is making his first career start in center field and will bat third on Wednesday against the division-rival Chicago Cubs and right-hander Kyle Hendricks at PNC Park. With Cruz in the outfield, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is at short and batting leadoff. The Pirates mentioned earlier this week that they were going to ease Cruz into center-field duties earlier this week, with this being the first start of his professional career in that spot. Pittsburgh will roll with Kiner-Falefa and Nick Gonzales up the middle the rest of the way. On days Cruz doesn't play in center, he will be the designated hitter. Already a must-start in all fantasy formats, Cruz's value will only go up with more positional flexibility heading into the 2025 season. In his career against Hendricks in five at-bats, he's hitting .200 with a homer and an RBI.
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced during his pre-game press conference on Monday that shortstop Oneil Cruz will start seeing time in center field. The Pirates haven't released their starting lineup for Monday's contest against the division-rival Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, but fantasy managers should expect the change to take effect immediately. It means that Cruz's already high fantasy value will be further boosted when he eventually gains outfield eligibility. With Cruz moving to center field, the Bucs plan to use Isiah Kiner-Falefa as their starting shortstop and Nick Gonzales as their starting second baseman the rest of the way in 2024. The 25-year-old Cruz has never played in a professional game in center field before. If the Pirates choose to ease Cruz into his new position, on days he's not in center field, he's expected to serve as the designated hitter.
Oneil Cruz Serving As Designated Hitter On Saturday
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is back in the starting lineup on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park, serving as the designated hitter and batting second against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at the 6 and bat leadoff for the Bucs. Fantasy managers have to be thrilled that Cruz is back in action after he was pulled early in Friday's series-opening win over the M's when he tweaked his left ankle running the bases in the seventh inning. The 25-year-old's injury obviously wasn't very serious, and he should remain in starting fantasy lineups everywhere. The Dominican shortstop has been excellent since the All-Star break and even better in August, going 16-for-42 (.381) with a homer, four doubles, seven RBI and three stolen bases in 11 games. Cruz has never faced Castillo in his career.
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) was removed from Friday night's win early over the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park due to left-ankle discomfort. Cruz is currently being examined and treated by the medical staff. The 25-year-old appeared to tweak his ankle after hitting a double in the seventh inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa replaced him at shortstop, with Jared Triolo entering the game at second base. Before leaving, Cruz went 1-for-4 with the double, two RBI and a strikeout. Fantasy managers will want to check back for more information on Cruz, who should be considered day-to-day for now. If he's forced to miss extended time due to the ankle injury, Kiner-Falefa would likely become the team's everyday shortstop. Cruz is one of the best young shortstops in the game and entered Friday's contest with a career-high 18 homers, 59 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 107 games.
Oneil Cruz
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Pirates
