Now Playing

Share Video

Link copied!

Manager Derek Shelton said after Wednesday's game against St. Louis that Cruz wasn't in the lineup due to finger soreness.

Cruz took a pitch off his finger in the seventh inning of Tuesday's contest, and he was pinch hit for when his spot in the batting order came around again in the ninth. Shelton noted that the 26-year-old was still available to pinch run or act as a defensive sub Wednesday, but the team wanted to make sure he didn't hit as a precaution. The Pirates' off day Thursday will give Cruz an extra 24 hours to recover, and he'll look to return to the starting nine in Friday's series opener in Cincinnati.

More News