Oneil Cruz Fantasy Stats

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (knee) did not play in his team's 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday due to a left knee contusion. However, Kevin Gorman of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that tests on Cruz's knee came back negative. The 27-year-old finishes 2026 hitting .280/.368/.486 with 20 home runs, 67 RBI, 65 runs scored, and 30 stolen bases across 419 plate appearances. Cruz missed over two months with a fractured hand, which may have cost him a chance at a truly elite fantasy season. The lefty slugger's .280 batting average is also likely a bit fluky, as he struck out in 33.2% of his plate appearances and batted .397 on balls in play. Still, Cruz carries elite power/speed upside for fantasy managers and profiles as one of the better outfield options for fantasy managers ahead of 2027.

Pro Publica's Gus Garcia-Roberts reports that Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz rear-ended a motorcycle six years ago, killing all three of its passengers and jeopardizing his major-league baseball career. Cruz's parents brought in a fixer to pay off the victims' families so they would not sue and would not demand that prosecutors pursue the case. The fixer, Santo Caraballo, essentially saved Cruz's career and launched his own as one of the most powerful figures in Dominican baseball. Caraballo had also become business partners with Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz. A judge released Cruz on a bond of $34,000 after the incident. In court, a lawyer emphasized that Cruz was one of baseball's "five highest-ranked prospects internationally" and that the accident "hurts the whole town, Oneil above all, who for this will have to go to professional therapy so that he can cope with the trauma." Caraballo ultimately negotiated payments to the three victims' families that totaled nearly $70,000 in exchange for getting them to withdraw their claims against Cruz. The document filed in court states that the families sought to "withdraw" all legal claims against Cruz and that they had not received any "pecuniary interest" for withdrawing the claims. A Pro Publica review of the documents signed shows key differences between paperwork filed with the court and the document NOT filed with the court. It is unclear if Major League Baseball will look further into the matter or if Cruz will be subject to any kind of discipline.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are activating outfielder Oneil Cruz (hand) from the 60-day injured list on Monday and are optioning outfielder Ronny Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move, according to Danny Demilio of PGH Sports Now. Cruz will not be in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener at home against the visiting Detroit Tigers and left-hander Framber Valdez, but he will be the team's starting center fielder the rest of the way. The 27-year-old Dominican left-handed hitter should immediately be reinserted into all starting fantasy lineups as he returns from a fractured left hand that kept him out since June 7. Before his injury, Cruz was slashing .264/.350/.472 with an .822 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and 45 runs scored across 64 games and 283 plate appearances. In six minor-league rehab games with Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona, Cruz went 3-for-22 at the plate with a stolen base. Cruz is rostered in 95% of Yahoo leagues for his ability to contribute across all categories when he is healthy.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (hand) is expected to continue his minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Friday night, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cruz will not be joining the Pirates for their series opener against the Boston Red Sox. It's unclear if the Pirates will consider activating Cruz from the 60-day injured list for the remainder of the weekend series against the BoSox. Through four rehab games so far at Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, the left-handed slugger has gone 2-for-13 at the plate with six strikeouts and three walks. He probably won't return to the big-league roster until he plays in back-to-back games in center field, so fantasy managers should probably not expect him back in Pittsburgh until at least early next week. The five-category contributor has been sidelined since the middle of June with a fractured hand, but he should remain stashed in all fantasy baseball leagues with the potential to be a difference-maker in the final month of the regular season. The 27-year-old Dominican was hitting .264/.350/.472 with an .822 OPS, 14 homers, 44 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and 45 runs in 250 at-bats before his hand injury in 2026.

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (left hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, according to Alex Stumpf. Cruz has been out since early June with non-displaced fractures of the fourth and fifth metacarpals in his left hand and was transferred to the 60-day injured list July 18. This will be his first game action in roughly two months. The 27-year-old was hitting .264/.350/.472 with 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 45 runs, and 21 stolen bases in 64 games before getting hurt. Pittsburgh has not announced how many rehab games Cruz will need before being activated. Still, getting him back into competitive games is a significant step, and fantasy managers should continue holding him as he works toward a return.

The Pittsburgh Pirates still do not have a specific timetable for outfielder Oneil Cruz's (hand) return from the 60-day injured list, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Still don't have a specific date or timeline, but I think we're getting closer all the time. We're waiting for maybe a little bit more information from him, but we're anticipating it happening soon," general manager Ben Cherington said. Despite starting baseball activities on July 29, it doesn't appear that the 27-year-old will be ready to come off the IL when he's eligible on Friday. Fantasy managers will need to be a bit more patient. Once he's cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment, his return to the big leagues won't be far off, barring a setback. The Dominican outfielder is a must-start in all fantasy formats when he's active for the Bucs, and he has hit .264/.350/.472 with an .822 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and 45 runs scored across his 250 at-bats in 2026 in his sixth major-league season in Pittsburgh. Cruz had a league-high 38 stolen bases in 2025 and is one of the best power/speed assets in baseball when he's healthy.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (hand) has been cleared to resume all baseball activities on Wednesday. Cruz appears to be finally trending in the right direction as he continues to work his way back from a fractured left hand. The organization is hopeful he can start swinging the bat soon and then head out on a minor league rehab assignment. He's eligible to return from the 60-day Injured List on August 7, so hopefully he'll be ready around that time. Jake Mangum has been starting in center field, but will likely head to a bench role once Cruz is ready to play. Fantasy managers will hopefully get Cruz back in the mix within the next two weeks.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that center fielder Oneil Cruz (hand) has had "good days of late," according to Dominic Campbell of Sports Illustrated. Cruz seems to be past the soreness of where his fractured hand is on contact, and his bones are healing. His next step is to ramp up his baseball activities before going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Cherington thinks that Cruz could be ready to come off the 60-day injured list during the early window of eligibility to return, which will come on Aug. 7. The 27-year-old Dominican has been sidelined with a fractured left hand since June 8. Cruz has been swinging a bat for a few weeks and is improving, so fantasy managers are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel for his return. With one of the fastest bat speeds in baseball, Cruz can be a five-category game-changer down the stretch if he's fully healthy. Before his hand injury, he was slashing .264/.350/.472 with an .822 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and 45 runs scored across his 250 at-bats.

The Pittsburgh Pirates moved outfielder Oniel Cruz (hand) to the 60-day injured list on Saturday, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. There hasn't been a setback in Cruz's rehab from a fractured hand he suffered in June, and he will be eligible to return to the major-league roster on Aug. 8. As long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks with his hand as he begins to ramp up his baseball activities in the coming weeks, Cruz stands a good chance of returning right on Aug. 8. The 27-year-old Dominican must remain stashed in all fantasy formats as a five-category producer when healthy. Before getting hurt, Cruz was slashing .264/.350/.472 with an .822 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 45 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases in his 250 at-bats. Cruz led the league in stolen bases with 38 in 2025, and he's had at least 21 steals in each of the last three seasons while also contributing at least 20 homers in the last two campaigns. When Cruz is activated from the 60-day IL in early April, he'll return to being Pittsburgh's everyday center fielder.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (hand) has resumed swinging a bat as he works his way back from a fractured left hand, according to Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. Cruz is making good progress, but he's not expected to return from the 10-day injured list until shortly after next week's All-Star break from July 13-16. Barring a setback on what should be a short minor-league rehab assignment, Cruz should be back for fantasy managers later this month. The 27-year-old Dominican outfielder remains a high-end, five-category contributor when he's healthy, so he should be rostered in all fantasy leagues while he recovers from his hand injury. Cruz is hitting .264/.350/.472 on the year with an .822 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 45 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases across his 250 at-bats in 2026. He's striking out at a 34.6% clip, which is concerning, but when he does make contact, it's usually hit hard. Cruz ranks in the 100th percentile in hard-hit rate, the 96th percentile in barrel rate, and the 85th percentile in expected slugging percentage.