Cruz went 2-for-5 with an RBI, a double, a run scored and two stolen bases Thursday against the Nationals.
Cruz started his fifth straight game with a lefty starter on the mound, and he's only been benched once against southpaws this season. He continued his hot start to the campaign, doubling in a run in the fifth inning. Cruz also swiped two bases, giving him nine across 19 games while being caught just once.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Stays scorching hot in rout
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base, three RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 16-5 win over the Nationals.
Cruz continued his hot start, extending his hitting streak to 12 games while stuffing the stat sheet in another dominant performance. The 27-year-old's biggest swing came in Pittsburgh's 10-run sixth inning, when he ripped a 114.1 mph single off the right-field wall to drive in two runs. The dynamic shortstop has been one of baseball's most productive players early on, ranking among the league leaders in hits (22), home runs (5), RBI (16), batting average (.355), slugging percentage (.645) and OPS (1.074), while also sitting tied atop the NL in stolen bases (7). Through 16 games, Cruz looks every bit like the breakout star many expected and will look to continue his dominance at the plate as the season progresses.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Homer, stolen base in loss
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Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, one walk and a stolen base in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs.
With the wind whipping out to center at Wrigley Field on Sunday, Cruz led off the game with a solo blast. He struck out in each of his next three trips to the plate before walking and stealing his sixth base of the season in the ninth inning. It's been an all-or-nothing start to the 2026 campaign for Cruz, who is slashing .339/.400/.644 with five homers, 13 RBI, 11 runs scored, six steals and a 5:20 BB:K across 65 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Runs wild against Cubbies
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Cruz went 4-for-5 with a walk, a double, a run scored and three stolen bases in Saturday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Cubs.
All three steals came against the battery of Edward Cabrera and Miguel Amaya, and the Pirates went 4-for-4 on the basepaths against that duo in the contest. Cruz also extended his hitting streak to 10 games with the huge performance from the leadoff spot, and through 60 plate appearances to begin the season he's slashing .345/.400/.618 with four homers, five stolen bases, 10 runs and 12 RBI.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Tallies fourth homer
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, three RBI and two runs scored Sunday against the Orioles.
Cruz delivered his third three-RBI performance in his last five games. He kicked off the effort with an infield single in the second inning before popping a two-run home run four frames later. More impressive was that this was Cruz's third long ball and sixth hit against a lefty this season, which comes directly after logging only 11 knocks across 125 plate appearances against southpaws in 2025.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Taking seat Saturday
Rotowire
Cruz isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.
A couple of defensive miscues from Cruz allowed the Mets to take an early 5-2 lead in the first inning of Thursday's contest, so the Pirates will keep the 27-year-old on the bench to begin Saturday's game while Jake Mangum patrols center field.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Back in lineup
Rotowire
Cruz (ankle) will start in center field and bat leadoff against Atlanta on Saturday.
Cruz missed two games after making an early exit Wednesday with ankle discomfort, but he'll return in time to make at least one more start before the end of the season. The 26-year-old hasn't exactly been ending 2025 on a positive note, however, slashing .179/.258/.286 across 62 plate appearances since the start of September.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Not in Thursday's lineup
Rotowire
Cruz (ankle) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Cincinnati.
Cruz departed Wednesday's game with left ankle discomfort, though he probably wasn't going to start Thursday, regardless, with southpaw Nick Lodolo on the bump for the Reds. He's considered day-to-day for the time being. Alexander Canario is in center field and batting seventh for the Pirates in Thursday's series finale.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Idle Wednesday
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Cruz has now exited the starting nine in four of the Pirates' last seven games, though three of his absences have come with left-handed pitchers on the bump for the opposition. He'll cede center field to Alexander Canario on Wednesday as the Cubs send southpaw Matthew Boyd to the bump for the series finale.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting against right-hander
Rotowire
Cruz is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.
The Cubs are sending right-hander Jameson Taillon to the bump, but the left-handed-hitting Cruz will nonetheless retreat to the bench in the series opener. It's the third time over the last five contests that he's been absent from the lineup, but the first two times he sat out came against lefties. Cruz is slashing just .186/.276/.314 across 74 games since the beginning of June. Jack Suwinski will handle center field for the Pirates on Monday.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting again versus lefty
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Cruz is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers.
Southpaw Blake Snell is on the bump for the Dodgers, marking the fifth straight game the left-handed-hitting Cruz has been out of the lineup versus a lefty (when healthy). The 26-year-old is slashing a woeful .106/.212/.183 with a 36.4 percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitching this season, so he now appears to find himself in a platoon. Alexander Canario will be in center field and bat seventh for the Pirates on Thursday.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Receiving break Tuesday
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers.
Cruz has gone 3-for-19 with four walks and a homer in six games since coming off the injured list last week, and he'll take a seat for Tuesday's series opener versus Los Angeles. Alexander Canario will instead start in center field and bat sixth versus Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Swipes 35th base
Rotowire
Cruz went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base Thursday against the Cardinals.
Cruz started his third straight game since being activated from the injured list. He has yet to record a hit in nine at-bats, though he has reached base via walk in all three contests. Cruz also swiped his 35th bag Thursday, which is the fourth-highest mark in the league.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Will not be activated Monday
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Pirates interim manager Don Kelly said that Cruz (concussion) will not be activated from the 7-day injured list prior to Monday's game in St. Louis, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz played rehab games with Double-A Altoona on Saturday and Sunday and came out of it without any setbacks. Kelly did not offer a target date for Cruz's activation, saying only that the team is taking it day by day. The Pirates might have just wanted to give Cruz a day to rest after he played back-to-back rehab games and then traveled to meet the team in St. Louis. Cruz has been sidelined since mid-August.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Beginning rehab assignment
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Cruz (concussion) is slated to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz suffered a concussion in a collision with teammate Jack Suwinski on Aug. 12 versus Milwaukee.He was subsequently placed on the 7-day injured list, but Cruz is apparently no longer dealing with concussion symptoms now that he's been cleared for game action in the minors. It's not clear how long Cruz's rehab assignment will last, but enough time has passed that he's eligible to be activated by the big club at any point.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Leaves early with head injury
Rotowire
Cruz was removed from Tuesday's game against the Brewers with a head injury.
Cruz collided with Jack Suwinski while both players attempted to make a diving catch in the fourth inning, and the former needed an extra moment to stand back up. He was later lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth. The Pirates have yet to determine the severity of Cruz's injury.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Taking seat versus lefty
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.
The left-handed-hitting Cruz will take a seat for the Pirates' second straight matchup with a lefty (Jose Quintana), as he previously exited the lineup in last Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Giants while southpaw Robbie Ray started for San Francisco. Alexander Canario will cover center field in place of Cruz, who is slashing just .110/.219/.190 over 114 plate appearances versus left-handed pitching this season.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Getting breather Wednesday
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Giants.
The left-handed-hitting Cruz has gone 0-for-17 over the last four games and the Giants are sending southpaw Robbie Ray to the hill, so the 26-year-old will get a chance to regroup Wednesday. Alexander Canario will patrol center field and bat seventh for the Pirates in the series finale.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Smacks grand slam in defeat
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Cruz went 2-for-6 with a double and a grand slam during Friday's 17-16 loss to the Rockies.
Cruz delivered the biggest swing in Pittsburgh's lengthy, nine-run first inning in which they sent 14 batters to the plate, smashing a 451-foot grand slam to center. The 26-year-old has showed he's quite dangerous when he can barrel up the ball, but his struggles to hit for average have been apparent as he's slashing just .220/.319/.448 on the season. He has 48 RBI on the season to go along with 18 home runs, but he's gone deep only three times since the start of July.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Hits decisive homer in win
Rotowire
Cruz went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Cruz's 410-foot blast in the second inning proved to be the game's only offense. In eight games since the All-Star break, the 26-year-old has gone 8-for-29 with four extra-base hits, five RBI, three runs scored and five stolen bases. For the year, he's slashing .217/.318/.423 with 17 homers, 42 RBI, 52 runs scored and a major-league leading 34 steals across 393 plate appearances.
