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Pittsburgh • #15 • CF

Oneil Cruz

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Schedule

Preseason
@
TB
Wed, Mar 19
L 5-2
@
BOS
Fri, Mar 21
L 2-1
vs
BAL
Sat, Mar 22
L 4-0
@
TOR
Sun, Mar 23
L 2-1
@
MIN
Mon, Mar 24
L 5-1
Regular season
@
MIA
Thu, Mar 27
4:10 pm
@
MIA
Fri, Mar 28
7:10 pm
MLBN
@
MIA
Sat, Mar 29
4:10 pm
@
MIA
Sun, Mar 30
1:40 pm
@
TB
Mon, Mar 31
7:05 pm
Full Schedule
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Player Outlook
Oneil Cruz missed nearly all of 2023 due to a fractured ankle but avoided the injured list last season and played in 146 games. He provided plenty of fantasy production with 21 homers, 22 steals, 76 RBI, 72 runs and a .259/.324/.449 slash line, but his 30.4 percent strikeout rate illustrates the ongoing concern with the swing-and-miss in his stroke. A 20-20 campaign is nothing to sneeze at, though the homer total is still a bit underwhelming given he hit 17 long balls in just 87 games as a rookie in 2022. Cruz also committed 24 errors with minus-nine DRS in 112 contests at shortstop, which led to the Pirates moving him to center field for the final month of the season. It was his first time playing center field as a professional, and he posted minus-three DRS in 195 innings. Having a full offseason to get more comfortable with the position should help immensely, and Pittsburgh is reportedly committed to keeping him in the outfield. Fantasy managers will benefit from the dual-position eligibility for at least 2025, and another 20-20 campaign -- with room for growth -- should be the expectation for Cruz.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
r
Runs
hr
Home Runs
rbi
Runs Batted In
bb
Base on Balls (Walk)
sb
Stolen Bases
avg
Batting Average
2025 — — — — — — — .000
2024 397.52.7 72 21 76 51 22 .259
2023 323.6 7 1 4 7 3 .250
3y Avg. 219.52.7 41 13 45 29 12 .249
Full Career Stats
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Fantasy Performance by Week
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Roster
99%
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Fantasy News

  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Pops second spring homer

    Rotowire
    Cruz has gone 3-for-12 with two home runs and three stolen bases across 12 at-bats in Grapefruit League action. Cruz popped his second homer of spring on a hanging changeup during Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays. He's showcased his fantasy-friendly profile early in spring thanks to his power and aggressiveness on the basepaths, though he's also struck out six times.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Coming back from illness

    Rotowire
    Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Cruz is being brought along slowly in spring training because he came to camp with an illness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Cruz is no longer ill, but since the ailment had prevented him from doing workouts for a while, the Pirates are taking it easy on him in the early weeks of camp. The center fielder has played in one of the team's first four Grapefruit League games, picking up a single and a stolen base Tuesday versus Atlanta. Cruz should be ready for a regular workload soon.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Out again Wednesday

    Rotowire
    Cruz (ankle) isn't in Pittsburgh's lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals. Cruz entered as a pinch hitter during Tuesday's loss to the Cards, but he'll remain absent from the starting nine Wednesday as he continues to battle left ankle soreness. Billy Cook start in center field and bat ninth.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Remains out of Pittsburgh lineup

    Rotowire
    Cruz (ankle) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest in St. Louis. It's the second straight start Cruz has missed after he had to leave Sunday's tilt against the Royals with left ankle soreness. He is considered day-to-day. Michael Taylor will occupy center field as the Pirates try to even the series.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Dealing with ankle injury

    Rotowire
    Cruz exited Sunday's 4-3 win over the Royals in the seventh inning due to a left ankle injury, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Cruz is dealing with left ankle discomfort after slipping in the outfield according to manager Derek Shelton. Shelton said that the 26-year-old "was able to run" and that it later "stiffened up." Cruz finished his day 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored against Kansas City. The Pirates will start a four-game series in St. Louis on Monday, and it's unclear if Cruz will be ready to go for the opener.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Out of Sunday's lineup

    Rotowire
    Cruz is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. Cruz will head to the bench after a run of 22 straight starts, during which he batted .313 with nine extra-base hits, nine steals, 10 RBI and nine runs. Michael Taylor is receiving a look in center field for the series finale versus Washington.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Swipes 20th bag

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 0-for-4 with a stolen base Sunday against the Guardians. Cruz reached base on a fielder's choice in the seventh inning and took advantage by swiping his 20th base of the season. He's gotten particularly aggressive on the basepaths in the last three weeks, as eight of his stolen bases have come in his last 17 games. Cruz needs two long balls to reach a 20-20 season in his first full slate of games in the majors.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Homers in three-hit game

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional RBI in Friday's 9-5 loss to the Dodgers. Cruz came up a triple shy of the cycle, logging his second three-hit game in a row since returning from an illness. The shortstop has gone 12-for-24 (.500) with three extra-base hits over six contests in August. Cruz is up to a .262/.315/.473 slash line with a career-high 18 homers, 59 RBI, 54 runs scored, 24 doubles and 11 stolen bases over 103 games this season.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting again Wednesday

    Rotowire
    Cruz (illness) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribunereports. The 25-year-old was held out of Tuesday's starting nine due to an illness and will sit for a second straight game Wednesday. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will receive another look at shortstop while Jared Triolo starts at second base with Cruz under the weather.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Taking seat Tuesday

    Rotowire
    Cruz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres. Cruz will sit Tuesday after a stretch of 17 straight starts, during which he had a .290/.333/.551 slash line with seven doubles, three homers, four steals, 15 RBI and 11 runs. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will shift to shortstop while Jared Triolo starts at second base.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Swipes two bags in win

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two stolen bases in Monday's win against the Cardinals. Cruz logged his first multi-steal game of the season, nabbing second base in both the first and third innings off Cardinals starter Andre Pallante. The shortstop hasn't been very active on the basepaths this season but he is now 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts. The 25-year-old has had a highly productive July, batting .321 with three home runs, 14 RBI, eight runs scored, and three steals across 14 games played.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Stays hot in Saturday's win

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Phillies. The young shortstop carried the Pirates' offense, with his two-run homer in the eighth inning off Matt Strahm giving his club some valuable insurance. Cruz has collected multiple hits in three straight games and has driven in at least one run in four straight, and he's slashing .348/.380/.652 through 50 plate appearances in July with five doubles, three homers, a steal, eight runs and 14 RBI. Cruz also has a 2:16 BB:K on the month, but as long as he's crushing the ball when he does make contact, he'll be a valuable fantasy asset.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting down Tuesday

    Rotowire
    Cruz (hamstring) isn't in the Pirates' lineup for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. Cruz made an early exit from Monday's game against the Mets due to hamstring tightness, and he'll now miss a start Tuesday as a result of the injury. Jared Triolo will fill in at shortstop and bat eighth.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Tending to hamstring injury

    Rotowire
    Pirates manager Derek Shelton disclosed that Cruz was removed from Monday's 8-2 win over the Mets in the bottom of the eighth inning due to his hamstring tightening up when he rounded the bases in the sixth inning, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Cruz went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run -- his 14th of the season -- and an additional run scored before exiting the contest. After reaching on a base hit in his final at-bat in the bottom of the sixth, Cruz apparently tweaked his hamstring either while advancing to second on Rowdy Tellez's infield single or while coming around to score on Nick Gonzales' double. Cruz played the next two innings in the field before he was replaced when his next turn in the batting order came up in the eighth, due to what Shelton said was out of an "abundance of caution." Based on Shelton's comments, Cruz might have been dealing with cramping rather than a hamstring strain, but fantasy managers will still want to keep close tabs on the shortstop's status heading into Tuesday's series opener in Milwaukee.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Slugs 14th homer

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and an additional run scored in Monday's 8-2 win versus the Mets. The Pittsburgh shortstop smashed a 431-foot, two-run blast off Christian Scott in the fourth inning to open the game's scoring. It marked Cruz's second homer of July, as he's batting .333 (8-for-24) with four runs scored and five RBI across seven games this month so far. Overall, the 25-year-old is slashing .247/.303/.444 with 40 runs scored and 41 RBI in 330 total plate appearances.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Picks up seventh steal

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a strikeouts in a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday. Cruz reached base on a single in the first and proceeded to steal second but failed to score. Cruz doesn't run often, but he's successful when he does, as he's only been caught stealing once in 12 attempts since the beginning of 2023. The 25-year-old is slashing .240/.294/.425 with 12 homers, 37 RBI, and seven steals this season.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: On bench against lefty

    Rotowire
    Cruz isn't in the Pirates' lineup for Saturday's game versus Atlanta. Cruz and his .351 OPS against left-handed pitchers will retreat to the dugout Saturday as the Pirates prepare to face southpaw Max Fried. Jared Triolo will fill in as Pittsburgh's shortstop and bat seventh.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Goes deep in loss

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in Monday's loss to the Reds. Cruz drove in one run in the fifth inning before capping off his night with a two-run blast in the seventh. It was his 11th home run of the year, with four of those coming this month. He was stuck in a 2-for-19 skid (.105) over his previous six games since his last multi-hit performance June 16. Cruz now owns a .243/.296/.433 slash line with 34 RBI and 27 extra-base hits through 284 plate appearances.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Makes splash in Saturday's win

    Rotowire
    Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rays. He destroyed the first pitch he saw from Zach Eflin in the first inning, sending the 78.2 mph curveball out of the stadium to right field and straight into the Allegheny River. Per Adam Berry and Justice delos Santos of MLB.com, it's just the sixth time since PNC Park opened that a ball has been hit into the river on the fly. Despite his prodigious physical tools, Cruz is still having trouble producing consistently for the Pirates, but he has stepped things up this month. Through 16 games in June, the 25-year-old is slashing .250/.283/.464 with three homers, one steal, 11 runs and 11 RBI.
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  • Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Out versus southpaw

    Rotowire
    Cruz is not in the lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the Reds. The left-handed hitting Cruz will begin this one on the bench as the Reds send southpaw Nick Lodolo to the hill. Jared Triolo is getting the start at shortstop for the Pirates.
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