Pirates Finally Activate Oneil Cruz After Two-Month Hand Injury
The are finally getting their most terrifying physical specimen back in the lineup. has officially been activated from the 60-day injured list, ending a two-month absence that started with a fractured hand back in June.
Baseball is a sport where a 6-foot-7 guy who can hit a baseball 122 mph gets derailed by a routine slide into home plate. Cruz broke two bones in his left hand on June 8 against the , forcing the Pirates to survive the summer without a player who looks like he was built in a lab to destroy fastballs.
Before his hand turned against him, Cruz was putting together a monster 2026 campaign. He was sitting on an .822 OPS with 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases, proving that his elite tools were finally translating into everyday production. He was already worth 1.7 wins above replacement before the All-Star break even hit.
His absence naturally sparked the usual mid-summer trade rumors, mostly because baseball media cannot comprehend the Pirates keeping a good player. But Pittsburgh held firm, refusing to deal him at the deadline, and now they get their franchise cornerstone back for the stretch run.
For anyone looking at the betting lines, inserting a guy with a 128 wRC+ back into the middle of the order completely changes the math for Pittsburgh. The Pirates just took two out of three games from the over the weekend and are starting to find a rhythm at the plate.
Cruz is expected to be back in center field immediately as the Pirates open a home series against the tonight. Opposing pitchers are officially back on notice, and infielders should probably take a couple of steps back just to be safe.