<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pirates-news-oneil-cruz-gets-one-step-closer-to-rehab-stint-amid-injury-recovery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Oneil Cruz gets one step closer to rehab stint amid injury recovery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Pirates-Oneil-Cruz.jpeg"></figure><h1>Oneil Cruz gets one step closer to rehab stint amid injury recovery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-08-10T10:17:12-07:00">August 10th, 10:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-08-10T10:17:12-07:00">August 10th, 10:17am</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Sam DiGiovanni started at ClutchPoints as an associate editor in 2021 and became the site's Philadelphia 76ers beat reporter ahead of the 2022-23 season. He graduated from Marist College in May of 2022 and has written for TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com in the past.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates sure do miss Oneil Cruz. The winning vibes from earlier in the season are gone as the team resumes its rebuilding ways and looks to finish out this season with improvements from their key young player.</p><p>Cruz hasn’t taken the field since April due to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-oneil-cruz-brutal-injury-play-plate-white-sox-benches-clearing" rel="noopener">an ankle injury</a> on a slide into home plate. The good news is that, according to Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports, Cruz has finally <a href="https://www.dkpittsburghsports.com/live/pirates-feed-early-august-mlb-2023-dk" rel="noopener">begun a formal running program</a>, which suggests he could make rehab appearances <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-pittsburgh-mixed-injury-update-oneil-cruz" rel="noopener">in the minor leagues</a> at some point this season. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk explained that the medical team decided to play things more carefully Cruz.</p><p>“There was just a collaborative read on the medical performance team that to potentially avoid any further soft tissue injuries up or down the kinetic chain, although you can’t go much further down, that we decided to take it a little bit slower,” Tomczyk said, via DK Pittsburgh Sports. “So nothing happened that his body signaled he can’t handle, it was more of a collaborative effort that we all got together, notably with Oneil, like ‘Hey look, here’s where we’re going to need to take this a little bit, a step differently and not rush to that projection date because we want to make sure when you come back, you’re back and you feel, as a baseline, like yourself.’”</p><p>Although Cruz could use all the playing time he can get to develop his game, it’s wise to avoid the risk of worsening his injury. This late in the season, the Pirates’ fate of another missed postseason is just about written. The long-term view is important here, though that isn’t to say Cruz should be shut down right now. If he can get back to full form before the season ends and head into the offseason ready to work, that would be great for Pittsburgh.</p><p>One of the hardest-hitting, fastest and biggest shortstops in the game, the 24-year-old Oneil Cruz is one of the Pirates’ most important players — their leadoff hitter of the next great Pittsburgh team if all goes well.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Oneil Cruz gets one step closer to rehab stint amid injury recovery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pirates-news-pittsburgh-mixed-injury-update-oneil-cruz');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates get mixed bag of injury updates on Oneil Cruz, 2 others');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Pirates-news-Pittsburgh-gets-mixed-bag-of-injury-updates-on-Oneil-Cruz-2-others.jpg"></figure><h1>Pirates get mixed bag of injury updates on Oneil Cruz, 2 others</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-08-02T10:49:11-07:00">August 2nd, 10:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-08-02T10:49:11-07:00">August 2nd, 10:49am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After their blistering start to the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have crashed back down to earth and now appear out of the playoff race. But as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-pittsburgh-calling-up-pair-of-top-prospects" rel="noopener">Pirates still look to finish</a> the year on a high note, Pittsburgh has gotten some good and some bad news in their latest injury update.</p><p>Oneil Cruz is <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinGormanPGH/status/1686778378337107973" rel="noopener">continuing to make progress</a> on his injury return and could begin a rehab assignment this month, via Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Ji Hwan Bae is in line for an extended rehab assignment as he looks to play numerous positions. Tucupita Marcano wasn’t as fortunate as his teammates, as he is set to undergo ACL surgery.</p><p>Cruz underwent ankle surgery after suffering a fracture in April. He is still very much a part of Pittsburgh’s future after ranking as the team’s <a href="https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2021/pirates/" rel="noopener">fourth-best prospect</a> as recently as 2021, via MLB Pipeline. Before going down with his injury this season, Cruz had hit .250 with a home run, four RBI and three stolen bases.</p><p>While the postseason looks out of the picture, getting Cruz back would have a major impact on his development. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-pittsburgh-calling-up-intriguing-pitching-prospect-quinn-priester-mlb-debut" rel="noopener">Pirates calling up</a> numerous top prospects, they’ve gotten a vision of their future. With Cruz in the picture, Pittsburgh could better analyze what their future roster will look like.</p><p>Bae and Marcano will both look to be a part of it. With Bae opining to play numerous position, he is hoping his versatility will help him stick. Marcano on the other hand will need to prove himself after a long injury layoff.</p><p>The Pirates have been stuck in the MLB’s cellar for countless years now. To succeed, they’ll need their young prospects to pay off, and to stay on the diamond as much as possible.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates get mixed bag of injury updates on Oneil Cruz, 2 others

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pirates-news-oneil-cruz-out-10-12-weeks-ankle-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates’ Oneil Cruz gets tough injury timetable after scary collision');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Oneil-Cruz-gets-tough-injury-timetable-after-scary-collision.jpg"></figure><h1>Pirates’ Oneil Cruz gets tough injury timetable after scary collision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-10T10:48:08-07:00">April 10th, 10:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-10T10:51:08-07:00">April 10th, 10:51am</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Pittsburgh Pirates star shortstop Oneil Cruz <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinGormanPGH/status/1645431347048062976" rel="noopener">is expected to miss</a> 10-12 weeks after suffering a fractured ankle, per Kevin Gorman. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-oneil-cruz-brutal-injury-play-plate-white-sox-benches-clearing" rel="noopener">Cruz suffered the injury</a> during the Pirates-Chicago White Sox Sunday clash on a play at home plate which ended in a collision with the Chicago catcher. The incident led to a benches-clearing brawl while Cruz was clearly in pain.</p><p>UPDATE: The Pirates later sent out the following tweet, stating that Cruz is expected to miss around four months.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Oneil Cruz had surgery last evening at Allegheny General Hospital by Dr. Greg Altman and Dr. Darren Frank. The surgery stabilized the fractured fibula and addressed the injury to the syndesmosis. </p><p>We anticipate a return to action in 4 months.</p><p>— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pirates/status/1645481260901343232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Pirates have been rebuilding over the past few seasons, and Cruz is projected to be one of their future superstars. The 6’7 shortstop displayed signs of stardom in 2022, his rookie season, but his overall results left much to be desired. He ultimately slashed .233/.294/.450 with a .744 OPS and 17 home runs. Additionally, Cruz stole 10 bases.</p><p>Nevertheless, he had moments last season that helped to showcase his potential. The Pirates believe Oneil Cruz can play a pivotal role for them for years to come. This injury setback, though, is obviously far from ideal.</p><p>The Pirates are slowly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2023-mlb-power-rankings-rays-lead-phillies-cardinals-stumble" rel="noopener">climbing the MLB Power Rankings</a> amid their steady 6-3 start to the season. Although Pittsburgh isn’t expected to make a playoff run in 2023, they have certainly impressed up to this point. OF Bryan Reynolds, who was linked to a number of teams in trade rumors during the offseason, is performing at an elite level for the Pirates so far.</p><p>The Pirates will try to stay afloat despite the absence of Oneil Cruz, something that will be difficult to do. The young shortstop impacts the game in a number of ways, and he will certainly be missed over the next few months.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates’ Oneil Cruz gets tough injury timetable after scary collision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/pirates-news-oneil-cruz-brutal-injury-play-plate-white-sox-benches-clearing');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates’ Oneil Cruz suffers brutal injury on play at plate vs. White Sox that results in benches clearing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/pirates-news-oneil-cruz-suffers-brutal-injury-on-play-at-plate-vs-white-sox-that-results-in-bench.jpg"></figure><h1>Pirates’ Oneil Cruz suffers brutal injury on play at plate vs. White Sox that results in benches clearing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-09T15:04:58-07:00">April 9th, 3:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-09T15:04:58-07:00">April 9th, 3:04pm</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-bryan-reynolds-equals-willie-stargell-wild-home-run-feat-dating-back-to-1971" rel="noopener">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> shortstop Oneil Cruz suffered a <a href="https://twitter.com/RobBiertempfel/status/1645156537915023360?s=20" rel="noopener">fractured ankle</a> from sliding into home plate and colliding with Chicago White Sox catcher Seby Zavala, manager Derek Shelton said, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic.</p><p>Seby Zavala appeared to say something after the play, which Carlos Santana did not like, and that prompted the benches to clear for the Pirates and White Sox. <a href="https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1645145110370197507?s=20" rel="noopener">Here is a clip</a> of the play in question:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Benches emptied between the White Sox and Pirates when Oneil Cruz left the game with a leg injury after sliding home <a href="https://t.co/aaso0po4bi">pic.twitter.com/aaso0po4bi</a></p><p>— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) <a href="https://twitter.com/JomboyMedia/status/1645145110370197507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Pirates did end up winning the game 1-0, moving to 6-3 on the season. In the very early part of the season, the Pirates having success is one of the bigger surprises. The expectation was that they would be towards the bottom of the National League Central division. That could still happen, but the Pirates have played well to start. A sweep in Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox is arguably the most notable part of the early season success.</p><p>The signings of veterans like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-andrew-mccutchen-emotional-return-pittsburgh-home-opener" rel="noopener">Andrew McCutchen</a> and Carlos Santana have helped along with the performance of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-bryan-reynolds-hot-start-has-pirates-fans-begging-for-contract-extension" rel="noopener">Bryan Reynolds</a>, but the Pirates were expecting Oneil Cruz to be a centerpiece of their next contending team. He showed promise in 2022, but was still hoping to put it all together. Cruz has all the physical tools, but will have to wait until he is recovered from the fractured ankle.</p><p>Now, the Pirates will have to make due without Cruz, and hope the performance of players like Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Andrew McCutchen and Carlos Santana can fill the void on offense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pirates’ Oneil Cruz suffers brutal injury on play at plate vs. White Sox that results in benches clearing

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pirates’ Oneil Cruz shatters Statcast record that will make Giancarlo Stanton look twice');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Pirates_news_Oneil_Cruz_shatters_Statcast_record_that_will_make_Giancarlo_Stanton_look_twice.jpeg"></figure><h1>Pirates’ Oneil Cruz shatters Statcast record that will make Giancarlo Stanton look twice</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-08-24T10:48:06-07:00">August 24th, 10:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-08-24T10:51:57-07:00">August 24th, 10:51am</time><address><a>Karl Rasmussen</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Pittsburgh Pirates have a special talent on their hands in 6-foot-7 shortstop Oneil Cruz. The rookie has impressed on both sides of the ball early in his MLB career, showing off his tantalizing power with the bat and his uncanny arm strength in the infield. He added to his lore on Wednesday when he set the Statcast era record for the fastest exit velocity on a hit in MLB history. Cruz <a href="https://twitter.com/Starting9/status/1562491960057040896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1562491960057040896%7Ctwgr%5E0aa2ab522f13e5ea7e2a50405753a3ae476b4f15%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php">torched</a> a ball from Braves SP Kyle Wright on Wednesday that registered at 122.4 mph off the bat.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Don’t blink.</p><p>Oneil Cruz just ripped a 122.4mph single off the wall.  <a href="https://t.co/JmxpzVbrS4">pic.twitter.com/JmxpzVbrS4</a></p><p>— Starting 9 (@Starting9) <a href="https://twitter.com/Starting9/status/1562491960057040896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Cruz shattered the record previously held by Giancarlo Stanton, who grounded into a double play against the Kansas City Royals in 2021 on a ball hit 122.2 mph. Cruz only recorded a single on the hit that ricocheted off the wall, simply due to how hard he hit it.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">please enjoy these alternate angles from the Pirates broadcast of the 122.4 MPH Oneil Cruz single <a href="https://t.co/rUwmd6ZN9G">pic.twitter.com/rUwmd6ZN9G</a></p><p>— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/CespedesBBQ/status/1562497588800409611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><p>Prior to that rocket of a single in the third inning against the Braves, Cruz’s hardest hit ball of the season came off the bat at 118.4 mph. That was still the fourth-hardest hit in MLB this season, trailing only Stanton, Shohei Ohtani, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pirates-news-pittsburgh-calls-up-top-prospect-who-sizes-up-with-aaron-judge/">Aaron Judge</a>. Now, Cruz has topped all of those guys, and the rest of the league, with his absolute missile off the bat on Wednesday.</p><p>Oneil Cruz has only played 54 games in his MLB career (52 this season) and is already the owner of one of the most impressive feats of strength in league history. Pirates fans should be fired up over the game-changing talent they have on their hands, and he should only continue to get better as he matures in the batter’s box. Wednesday’s ripper was just a taste of what Cruz can bring to the table as he continues to develop.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.194	3	12	0.806	6

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.194	3	12	0.806	6

Oneil Cruz

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Pirates’ Oneil Cruz shatters Statcast record that will make Giancarlo Stanton look twice

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