PITTSBURGH -- Few players in the world can replicate the power Oneil Cruz produces. In his first game back off the 60-day injured list, Cruz showed off that power with a two-run shot in the fifth inning to give the Pirates a lead in their 4-1 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night at PNC Park.
Cruz hammered a 2-2 knuckle curve from Detroit starter Keider Montero into the right-center-field seats. The 6-foot-7 center fielder admired his shot as it went a Statcast-projected 422 feet, with an exit velocity of 107.7 mph.
“It felt good to be up here again, also when I was down there with my rehab,” Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales. “I feel pretty good physically and mentally. We’re going to be OK.”
Cruz’s homer broke up Montero’s no-hitter and jump-started a three-run fifth. The two-run shot was all the Pirates needed as starter Braxton Ashcraft twirled eight innings of one-run ball and Mason Montgomery closed the door in the ninth.
“That's what we expect out of him,” Ashcraft said of Cruz. “He's been that type of player for a long time. That's why he’s as highly touted as he is, because he can change the game at one swing, one at-bat, and it's just good to have that threat back in the lineup and that comfort of knowing that a one-run, two-run lead is never safe.”
Cruz missed 58 games with fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures on his left hand. Pittsburgh went 26-32 in his absence, and he was activated ahead of Monday’s series opener, but he didn’t play.
Cruz slotted in to the five-hole and returned to center field Tuesday. He added protection behind rookie slugger Esmerlyn Valdez in the cleanup spot, who walked before Cruz’s home run.
“[Cruz] lengthens everything out. ... Great to have him back,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He was off to such a great start, and certainly don't want him putting pressure on trying to jump right back into it. And to see the way he swung the bat tonight was really, really impressive.”
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. He was slashing .264/.350/.472, with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs in 64 games when he was placed on the IL.
Cruz said he didn’t feel good or bad during the recovery process, understanding his body takes a little longer than most to recover -- as proven by his fractured left ankle in 2023. He didn’t feel much pain in his hand when swinging Tuesday, but he expects it to be a process to get completely back to 100%.
While beginning a rehab start on Aug. 7 with Triple-A Indianapolis, he played two games and walked twice. His rehab moved to Double-A Altoona, and he played four games, tallying three hits in 17 at-bats.
Kelly said Cruz will be eased back into action, getting some days in the designated hitter spot along with his work in center field. He struck out in his at-bats both before and after the homer to finish 1-for-3, though he certainly made his mark. Now, he hopes to be a catalyst for a playoff push.
“Whatever it takes from me to help this team through the last run the rest of the season,” Cruz said. “I was watching the games on TV during my rehab, and I was thinking that I wanted to be here as soon as possible to help the team, and that’s what we’re going to do.”