Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Extent of Oneil Cruz's injury revealed

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 4/9/23

Pittsburgh Pirates young star Oneil Cruz suffered a major injury on a play at the plate on Sunday.

Cruz was on third base with his Pirates leading the Chicago White Sox 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ke’Bryan Hayes was batting and hit a slow grounder to third that Yoan Moncada fielded and threw home to try to throw out Cruz. Cruz was tagged out, but his left leg got stuck behind him during an awkward slide and collision with catcher Seby Zavala, causing him to go down in pain.

Neither team appeared to be happy with the way the play unfolded, and after words were exchanged the benches cleared.

Benches clear in Pittsburgh after a play at the plate involving Oneil Cruz

(via @NBCSWhiteSox)pic.twitter.com/zEfdulecBS

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 9, 2023

Unfortunately for the Pirates, the diagnosis of Cruz's injury matches the fears felt in the immediate aftermath of the play.

Oneil Cruz has a fractured left ankle.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) April 9, 2023

It appeared the White Sox were displeased with Cruz's slide, but some where also questioning Zavala's positioning on the play.

Did Oneil Cruz have a lane here? An ugly play. Doesn't matter at this point. Just hope Cruz is OK. That didn't look good. pic.twitter.com/JIIwi5ir90

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) April 9, 2023

Losing Cruz is a bad brack for the Pirates. The 24-year-old was a highly-touted prospect who briefly made his MLB debut in 2021. Last season, the shortstop posted a .744 OPS with 17 home runs in 87 games.

Cruz has drawn attention for his hard throws in the field and even harder hits at the plate. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, he will be sidelined an extended period of time.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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