Oneil Cruz expected to miss 10-12 weeks after ankle surgery

Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz underwent surgery on his fractured left ankle Sunday night, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Cruz is expected to miss 10-12 weeks.

Cruz, 24, was removed from Sunday’s game after an attempt to score on a ground ball resulted in an awkward slide and a collision with White Sox catcher Seby Zavala. Cruz remained on the ground for a while in obvious pain and needed help getting off the field. After the game, manager Derek Shelton informed reporters that Cruz had a fracture in his left ankle.

It’s a frustrating blow for the Pirates, given that Cruz is one of the most exciting young players on their roster. At 6’7″, he is one of the more unique shortstops in baseball history. Beyond just his height, he’s also a Statcast darling, showcasing incredible arm strength, sprint speed and exit velocity.

His obvious talent also comes with some concerns, understandable for a young player that is still developing. He hit 17 home runs and stole 10 bases in just 87 games last year but also struck out in 34.9% of his plate appearances. Cruz had shown some positive development in that category so far this season, striking out in just 20% of his trips to the plate. It’s been a small sample of just 40 plate appearances in nine games, but he also more than doubled his walk rate, going from 7.8% last year to 17.5% in the early going in 2023. That progress will now be put on hold for a few months as Cruz rehabs from his procedure.

The rebuilding Pirates are off to a hot start, sporting a 6-3 record. They will now have to proceed without their planned everyday shortstop. Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae have been splitting second base duties this year, but both have shortstop experience and could move to the other side of the bag. Castro told Gorman that he’s “gonna be ready for whatever position they need me to play and I’m gonna give 100%.” He has just 161 innings of major league experience at short but much more in the minors. He has a career batting line of .222/.287/.410 for a wRC+ of 93, hitting 16 home runs in 111 games so far but also striking out at a 27.7% clip.

As for Bae, he has only 18 big league games under his belt but has hit .295/.348/.426 for a wRC+ of 115 while stealing five bases. He can play the middle infield and also the outfield, though it seems fair to expect him to be on the dirt more going forward. He and Castro should split most of the middle infield duties in some capacity with the Bucs likely calling up someone like Mark Mathias or Tucupita Marcano to play a bench role since both of them are on the 40-man roster. Though with Cruz set to miss a few months, he could also be placed on the 60-day injured list, allowing the club to open a roster spot for someone like Chris Owings.