PITTSBURGH -- Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with fourth and fifth-metacarpal non-displaced fractures in his left hand. The listing is retroactive to Monday.
Cruz injured his hand on Saturday after a slide into home plate in the fourth inning on Tyler Callihan’s RBI double against the Braves. He was held out of the lineup on Sunday, but pinch-ran in the top of the ninth inning. Cruz was originally in the lineup on Tuesday after an off-day, but he was later scratched.
Bucs manager Don Kelly said the fractures didn’t come up on the X-rays at first, and Cruz tried to battle through it pregame on Tuesday. The hand continued to tighten up and the club sent Cruz for an MRI exam, which revealed the fractures.
“What he's shown this year growth-wise on the field as far as development, and then for him to battle through some things that he's battled through this year ... it stinks,” Kelly said.
Cruz is having his best season yet with Pittsburgh, producing an .822 OPS with 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases.
With Cruz out, the Pirates recalled outfielder Billy Cook from Triple-A Indianapolis. Utility man Callihan fills in a role in the corner outfield and Jake Mangum will get most of the starts in center field. Callihan clubbed his first two MLB homers as the Pirates rallied for a 9-8 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday night.