Oneil Cruz has been placed on the 10-day injured list with non-displaced fractures in his left hand after sliding into home during Saturday’s loss to Atlanta.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates opened their doors for Wednesday’s lineup shuffle, the headline was already written in a way fans didn’t want to see: Oneil Cruz was going to miss time.
Pittsburgh placed the centre fielder on the 10-day injured list with a broken left hand. The injury happened during the fourth inning of Saturday’s loss to Atlanta, when Cruz slid into the plate. He was available as a pinch-runner on Sunday. and the club had been hoping that would be the end of it. But additional tests later showed non-displaced fractures between his ring finger and his pinkie.
The injured list move is retroactive to Monday. pulling Cruz out of the immediate NL Central picture as Pittsburgh tries to keep pace without one of its most productive bats. Cruz is hitting .264 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. and his 98 strikeouts lead the majors—numbers that make his absence feel especially sharp when every lineup spot has to matter.
To fill Cruz’s roster spot, the Pirates recalled utility player Billy Cooke from triple-A Indianapolis. Cooke is hitting .190 in 32 games this year for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh also made two separate moves involving catchers. The Pirates placed catcher Henry Davis on the paternity list and recalled catcher Rafael Flores Jr. from triple-A.
Pittsburgh Pirates Oneil Cruz injured list broken left hand Billy Cooke Henry Davis paternity list Rafael Flores Jr. NL Central Atlanta Braves