PITTSBURGH -- Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz is being activated off the 60-day injured list ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Tigers at PNC Park. He’s not in the starting lineup as Pittsburgh takes on left-handed starter Framber Valdez, but is available off the bench.
Cruz has missed 58 games with left-hand fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures. Pittsburgh went 26-32 in his absence. Outfielder Ronny Simon is being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis with Cruz returning. A 40-man roster move has not been announced yet, but is required to activate Cruz.
“There's a lot of ways that Oneil can help us win,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “We all know he's got the power, the arm strength in the outfield, the speed on the bases, and just excited to have him back to help us win.”
Cruz last played in the Majors on June 7 in Atlanta while pinch-running. The day before, Cruz slid into home plate, where he injured the hand. Cruz returned to Minor League action on Aug. 7, beginning a rehab stint with Indianapolis, where he played two games and walked twice. His rehab moved to Double-A Altoona, and he played four games and tallied three hits in 17 at-bats.
He saw a hand specialist on Sunday, who revealed the bones are healed. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk expects Cruz to experience some pain the rest of the season, though playing through it won’t do any more damage. Tomczyk added that Cruz won’t need to wear any extra protective gear despite the return taking longer than expected.
“There weren’t setbacks. Everybody’s body heals differently,” Tomczyk said.
Kelly said Cruz’s usage will be “fluid,” and he’ll appear some in the designated hitter spot while still manning center field plenty of the time. Jake Mangum, who filled in for Cruz in center field, is expected to still appear in both center field and the corners. Cruz was having his best season yet before the injury, producing an .822 OPS with 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 64 games.
“He certainly was getting better and took a step forward,” Kelly said. “I think that he missed a lot of time too. … How do we manage this in a way that he’s hugely important for us to be in there and help him get back to exactly where he was when he left off?”