Oneil Cruz Is Showing What the Pirates Were Missing

Earlier this season, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz was breaking out and finally taking his game to the next level.

Ever since he debuted back in 2021, it felt like the baseball world was awaiting that one “big year” from Cruz, as his electric power was second to none in the sport. However, hefty whiff rates, injuries, and overall underperformance plagued the first four years of his career.

Through June 6, Cruz had posted a career-best 123 wRC+, hit 14 homers, and swiped 21 bases, showcasing his dynamic toolset in every facet of the game. Cruz was leaping into stardom before our very eyes, and he was doing it for a Pirates team that found itself dead in the middle of the NL Wild Card race.

Unfortunately, Cruz’s breakout season was heartbreakingly interrupted on June 6, as he suffered two non-displaced fractures in his left hand after a slide into home plate versus the Atlanta Braves. With hand injuries being historically difficult to rehab back to full strength, he was headed to the 60-day IL and would miss significant time.

Fast-forward a few months, and Cruz made his return to the Pirates lineup on August 18, and he didn’t waste time making his presence known. He homered in his first game back, and that bomb kicked off one of the hottest stretches of his career, as he’s been fantastic ever since being activated.

During this stretch, Cruz is showing us exactly what the Pirates were missing while he was working his way back from the injured list. He’s back on top and doing so in tremendous fashion.

Producing Immediately After Returning

Since being activated from the injured list, Cruz has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Although it’s only a 23-game sample, he’s been dominant on all cylinders, picking up his breakout season right where he left off in early June.

Through this 23-game span, Cruz is slashing .305/.412/.500 with four homers, 19 RBI, six stolen bases, and a 149 wRC+. During this period, only 33 hitters in the league have posted a higher wRC+ than Cruz’s mark, showing just how dominant he’s been in his return to the lineup.

If we zoom out and take a look at the bigger picture for a moment, we see that Cruz’s presence on the field has directly correlated with one of the hottest stretches in recent Pirates history. They’ve won five consecutive series, their longest streak of series wins since 2015.

On top of that, after concluding their three-game sweep against the White Sox on August 10, the Pirates achieved a record above .500 for the first time since 2015 as well, making this stretch even more important for the club historically.

Bringing this back to Cruz, the Pirates have sported a 14-9 record ever since he was activated, which is good for the sixth-best record in the sport during this period. In fact, the Pirates are just three wins away from having the most wins in this span, again showing how dominant they’ve been since he made his return.

One of Cruz’s most consequential games came at a time when the Pirates desperately needed him on September 1. He went 4-for-6 with four RBI in the Pirates’ thrilling 13-12 victory over the San Francisco Giants. This game quite literally could not have been won without Cruz, and this is a regularly occurring theme for the Pirates since he made his way back on the field.

Keeping Cruz off the bases has been a tall task for any opponent since his return to the Pirates’ lineup, and it’s a glimpse of the type of player he can look like at his best. When he’s as locked-in at the plate as he is right now, few hitters in the sport are capable of punishing mistakes in the same manner as Cruz.

Where the Pirates Lacked Without Cruz

Even though the Pirates managed to hold somewhat steady without Cruz on the field every day following his injury, the results were not always pretty. Their offense went through a pretty rough skid following the trade deadline, which led to the team losing plenty of games they likely would have won with Cruz on the field and healthy.

Often, these losses came when the club faced left-handed pitching, which has been a recurring concern for them throughout 2026. The Pirates have posted an 87 wRC+ against left-handed pitching this season, ranking among the bottom five in the sport.

Before his hand injury in early June, one key area Cruz had improved in was against left-handed pitching. Last season versus left-handers, Cruz had slashed .102/.224/.176 with a strikeout rate over 35%, looking lost at the plate any time he was put in these situations.

In 2026, this has been a completely different story. Cruz hired a left-handed BP thrower in the offseason to work on this, and it’s paid dividends. He’s now slashing .315/.372/.477 against lefties, and although his strikeout rate has remained high against these pitchers, he’s clearly seeing them much better than he had in the past.

During the Pirates’ offensive skid — specifically against left-handers — they could have really used his presence in the lineup. With Cruz possessing the power to change the game with one swing of the bat, even against same-handed pitchers, the Pirates’ offense could’ve had a jump-starter to help them fight through lefty-heavy matchups.

Speaking of changing the game with one swing of the bat, the Pirates really missed Cruz’s power during this span. They began the season homering at a rate unseen in franchise history, and while their power continued to be on display while he was absent, it certainly took a step backwards.

While Cruz was injured, the Pirates ranked 13th in baseball in home runs with 76, which, while respectable, had room for growth as well. With one less player in the lineup capable of changing the game with one swing, opposing pitchers were better able to attack the other key performers in the Pirates’ lineup, as their lineup protection was significantly hurt by this absence.

For example, Bryan Reynolds was someone who was heavily affected by this. Before Cruz was injured, Reynolds was putting together one of the best seasons of his career, posting a 124 wRC+ from the beginning of the season until Cruz’s injury. Then, between the beginning of July and Cruz’s return to the lineup in mid-August, his wRC+ fell to 87 as he struggled without this lineup protection.

While he hasn’t rebounded fully since Cruz’s return to the lineup, partially because of the other faces missing from the Pirates’ lineup, things have looked up for Reynolds. Since mid-August when Cruz returned, Reynolds has registered a 116 wRC+, much better than his mark of 87 between the beginning of July and Cruz’s return.

With Cruz back in the lineup, the Pirates are now one step closer to recapturing the early-season lineup protection and ability to punish left-handed pitchers. They suffered in these areas without him, but things are trending back in the right direction.

What Does Cruz Mean to the Pirates?

Seeing what the Pirates have looked like with and without Cruz, one question remains: What does Cruz mean to the Pirates?

The answer to that question is quite a bit. Between the added lineup protection he provides, the ability to hit left-handed pitching, and the ability to keep the club in games with just one swing of the bat, it’s evident that his impact on this club is immense.

There’s arguably no better indicator of this than the Pirates’ record since he’s returned to the lineup, as this is the best stretch of baseball they’ve played in over a decade.

On top of this, in the only months this season where the Pirates have played below .500 baseball, Cruz has not been on the field for the entire calendar month. In the months when he has? They’ve consistently played above .500 baseball, winning some really tough matchups in the process.

Even if it’s not always immediately clear, Cruz’s impact on this team is significant. It’s a shame that injuries robbed the Pirates of over 70 calendar days of his season, because if he had been on the field this entire time, they might be even closer to being in the NL Wild Card hunt than they currently are.