Pittsburgh Pirates Get Continued Positive Health Update on Young Shortstop

Seeing Cruz participate in any kind of game action is certainly a good thing for the team, and it has to be good for him as well. After fracturing his ankle against the Chicago White Sox last April, he missed the entire season.

There's still a chance he could appear in Dominican Winter League games, but that's unknown at this time.

Cruz is a huge part of what the Pirates do and a major centerpiece of their organizational rebuild. He hit .250 for the season in that 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 Cruz, the Pirates also have Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes locked up long-term, which gives fans of the organization some excitement. Pittsburgh also selected LSU right-hander Paul Skenes with the No. 1 pick in the draft in July. He is the best organizational pitching prospect since Gerrit Cole, who just won the Cy Young Award with the Yankees.

The Pirates finished fourth in the National League Central in 2023.