Pittsburgh Pirates' shortstop Oneil Cruz appears to be back in a big way this spring.
The 25-year-old shortstop is working his way back from a broken ankle that cost him nearly the entire 2023 season, and his comeback tour is certainly going well.
Entering play on Thursday, Cruz is second in all of baseball in slugging percentage this spring.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
highest slugging pct in Spring Training, 2024 (min 25 PA):
Juan Soto: .958
Oneil Cruz: .917
Shohei Ohtani: .909
Colton Cowser: .885
Any time you are sandwiched between Soto and Ohtani on any list, you're doing something right, and Cruz certainly is.
If the Pirates are going to contend in 2024, they'll definitely need Cruz to be a huge part of it. One of the most talented young players in baseball, he'll pair with Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes to form a young offensive trio for the Bucs.
Cruz hit .250 for the 2023 season in his limited action with a homer, four RBI and three stolen bases through just 32 at-bats.
He made his major league debut in 2021 but really burst out in 2022, clocking 19 home runs and bringing in 61 in just 87 games.
In addition to a healthy Cruz, the Pirates also went out and brought in several veterans this year to help them compete. They traded for pitcher Marco Gonzales and signed Rowdy Tellez, Aroldis Chapman, Yasmani Grandal, Martin Perez and Eric Lauer.
Pittsburgh finished fourth in the National League Central last season.
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