Oneil Cruz is moving in the right direction, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are sounding more optimistic about when they’ll get him back.
General manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan that Cruz is improving and that the soreness and pain he felt earlier in his swinging progression is easing up. Cherington said the club is still expecting Cruz to stay on his current timeline, which points to an early August return.
“We’re still hopeful. He’s had good days of late," Cherington said.
"He seems to be past the soreness that he was feeling where the fractures were, like when he was making contact early in the hitting progression, he was still feeling it. He seems to be getting past that.
Those symptoms are subsiding, which is good news, just means the bones are healing and he’s getting past that.
"Now it’s just a matter of ramping up the rest of the baseball stuff and getting through all that progression, at which point we’ll get him into a rehab assignment, get him into games."
Cruz has been out of action for nearly two months after fracturing his left hand while sliding at home plate in the Pirates’ 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on June 6. The injury was diagnosed as fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures in his left hand, better known as a boxer's fracture, a direct-trauma injury that makes gripping and holding things painful.
Most of July has been spent at the Pirates’ Spring Training site in Bradenton, Fla., where Cruz has been focused on recovery and getting his hand ready for baseball activities again.
Pittsburgh initially projected a four- to six-week recovery window, which would have put Cruz back sometime between July 12 and July 26. Instead, the Pirates moved him to the 60-day injured list, making Aug. 7 the earliest possible return date.
That decision lined up with the fact that Cruz was still dealing with pain when he swung the bat. The team believed the bones were healing, but he needed more time before pushing forward.
Before he can rejoin the Pirates, Cruz will also need a rehab assignment. Once that part is complete, he’ll still have to get back up to speed in every area the club needs from him - his speed on the bases, his range and arm in center field, and the power in his bat.
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