Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz went 2-for-4 with a single and a grand slam in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Nationals. It was his third home run of the season, and his slash line now sits at .222/.343/.426. The batting average has been disappointing so far this season, but Cruz has been a star on the base paths. He has eight stolen bases in 15 games played, which would put him at a pace of over 80 in a full season. That might be asking for a lot, but it's safe to say that he's trending towards blowing past his 22 steals from 2024.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (finger) is returning to center field and will bat third for Sunday's series finale against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Hunter Greene. Cruz was hit by a pitch on his finger on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals and was forced to miss the next three games. The 26-year-old is feeling better now, though, and will return in the series finale. Fantasy managers will want to get him back into their starting lineups, as he's hit .333 with a 1.302 OPS, two home runs and two RBI in 12 career at-bats against Greene. Cruz is hitting .211 (8-for-38) in his first 12 games in 2025, but he's added two home runs, a double, five RBI, seven stolen bases and five runs scored in 50 plate appearances.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (finger) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Cruz injured his finger earlier in the week when he was hit by a pitch on the hand. He's being considered as day-to-day, but will miss his third straight game on Saturday. Hopefully, Cruz can return soon and avoid a trip to the injured list. Alexander Canario will cover center field and bat sixth versus left-hander Andrew Abbott. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update on Sunday.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (finger) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Cruz was hit by a pitch on his finger on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals and will sit out for the second straight day as a result. It's not considered a very serious injury, though, so fantasy managers should hopefully get Cruz back at some point over the weekend in Cincinnati. With Cruz out, Jack Suwinski is making another start in center field and will hit sixth against Reds right-hander Brady Singer. Suwinski will be a poor DFS play on Friday night. He's gone 3-for-25 in the early going and has never faced Singer in his career. Cruz has started the year hitting only .211 (8-for-38), but he does have two long balls, five RBI, five runs scored and a league-leading seven stolen bases.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (finger) was absent from Wednesday's lineup due to finger soreness, according to manager Derek Shelton. Cruz suffered the injury on Tuesday when he was hit by a pitch, but it doesn't seem to be serious. He was available to pinch run or play defense in Wednesday's game if necessary. He'll look to hopefully rejoin the lineup on Thursday and continue his solid start to the season. He's only batting .211, but has a .360 OBP and has already stolen seven bases.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz will draw out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. With Cruz resting in the matinee, Jack Suwinski will slide to center field and bat leadoff, with Tommy Pham manning left field and batting eighth against Cardinals right-hander Erick Fedde. Cruz was hit by a pitch late in Tuesday's contest against St. Louis but stayed in the game, so perhaps his day of rest is related to that. The team has an off day on Thursday before beginning a series on Friday in Cincinnati against the division-rival Reds, so fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if the 26-year-old is back in the lineup. Cruz has gotten off to a .211 (8-for-38) start, but he doe have two homers, a double, five RBI and a league-leading seven steals in 12 games played.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI, and a steal in a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. Cruz launched a solo shot off Tampa starter Ryan Pepiot in the fifth inning, giving him his second homer of the season. He later came back and added another RBI on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning. Cruz is now hitting .261 with two homers, four runs, four RBI, and six steals across 23 at-bats in the early going as he looks to build on his first 20/20 season in 2024.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz is not in Sunday's lineup when the Pirates conclude a series against the Miami Marlins. Cruz has started in each of the first three games of the series in center field. Across these games, the 26-year-old has gone 2-for-10 with three runs, two RBI, a long ball, four stolen bases, and a 6:2 BB:K. As a result, Jack Suwinski will get the nod in center field and bat fifth. Fantasy managers should expect Cruz to return to the starting nine on Monday evening when the Pirates travel to face the Rays. On Saturday, Suwinski went 1-for-5 with a double and a stolen base during his first start of the campaign and is worth a look in DFS this afternoon facing Miami right-hander Max Meyer, who held a 5.68 ERA across 57 innings last season.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz went 0-for-2 on Saturday, but was able to coax four walks in the 5-4 loss to the Marlins in extra innings. The 26-year-old also swiped two bases in the contest, now with four total and at least one in each of the three games so far this season, and he also scored once. The 6-foot-7 slugger is 2-for-10 through three games with a 6:2 BB:K, and will look to keep getting on base on Sunday against Marlins starter Max Meyer, who pitched in just 11 games last season after working his way back from Tommy John. Meyer pitched to a 5.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 14 home runs allowed in those 11 starts. Redraft managers will, of course, keep starting Cruz in lineups, but he could be in play for DFS as well.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI during their victory over the Miami Marlins on Friday evening. Cruz reached first base for the first time in the fourth inning via a base on balls. He then proceeded to swipe second base and would then advance to third on a throwing error. This was already his second stolen base of the season as he swiped one on Opening Day. In his next at-bat, Cruz would launch a 115 mph two-run shot, which scored Tommy Pham. The 26-year-old is enjoying an impressive start to the campaign and is showing off both his raw power and elite speed. Last season, Cruz hit 21 home runs and swiped 22 bags, but could exceed those numbers given his impressive start. He will look to stay hot on Saturday, facing Miami right-hander Valente Bellozo.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (illness) is progressing slower during camp due to an illness. Manager Derek Shelton noted that the 26-year-old reported to camp sick, and as a result, the team is opting to exercise caution as he ramps up his activity. The young outfielder has only appeared in one spring game so far and should be expected to gradually see his workload increase over the next few weeks. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status in case he faces a setback. Last season, the 26-year-old posted a .259/.324/.449 line with 21 home runs and 22 stolen bases. He generated an elite 54.9 percent hard-hit rate and a 15.7 percent barrel rate, which placed him in the 97th percentile among qualified hitters. When healthy, Cruz should be expected to see an everyday role in center field and is a strong target in standard formats, given his ability to contribute to all five standard categories.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder/outfielder Oneil Cruz and third baseman Jared Triolo are both out of the lineup for Friday's series finale against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Billy Cook will get the start in center field and will bat in the nine-hole, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa manning third base and batting sixth against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon. Kiner-Falefa has one hit in three career at-bats versus Rodon. The 25-year-old Cruz will get a day of rest against a southpaw pitcher. The Dominican has hit just .227 (32-for-141) against lefties this year with six of his 21 home runs on the season. Cruz recently made the full-time transition from shortstop to center field in Pittsburgh and has also reached the 20-20 milestone for the first time in 2024 in his fourth year in the big leagues. Cruz enters play on Friday slashing .263/.325/.456 with a .781 OPS, 21 homers, 76 RBI and 22 thefts in 143 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Friday's 8-3 loss to the Reds. The home run was his 20th of the year, giving the 25-year-old his first 20/20 season of his young career. Despite the achievement, Cruz is slashing just .196/.281/.357 in September after a hot August in which he slashed .389/.449/.537. Overall on the season, the Dominican has been productive even with a high strikeout rate (30.9%), putting together a .267-20-75-70-22 line over 138 games with a .336 wOBA and 113 wRC+, making him a solid multi-category contributor for fantasy.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) is starting in center field and is hitting third for the Bucs on Thursday against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Erick Fedde at Busch Stadium. Cruz has been out of the starting lineup since Sunday, when he left the contest against the Kansas City Royals early due to discomfort in his left ankle. The 25-year-old's ankle injury was never considered to be serious, and he got a pinch-hit appearance in Tuesday's game. Cruz is fading down the stretch after just being moved to center field full time in Pittsburgh, but he's on the cusp of his first 20-20 season in his fourth year in the big leagues. In 14 games in September, he's gone 9-for-49 (.184) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI and 17 strikeouts in 56 plate appearances. In three career at-bats against Fedde, Cruz has a homer and one RBI.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) remains out of the team's starting lineup on Tuesday at Busch Stadium against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. Michael Taylor will man center field for the Bucs and will hit ninth against Cardinals right-handed veteran Lance Lynn. Cruz left Sunday's contest against the Kansas City Royals early with soreness in his left ankle and has missed the last two games as a result. For now, fantasy managers can continue to consider the 25-year-old day-to-day. The Pirates recently made the move to put Cruz in center field full time, which has allowed Nick Gonzalez to shift over to shortstop and the Bucs to recall infield prospect Nick Yorke. Taylor won't be very attractive as a DFS sleeper in the nine-hole, but he is hitting .294 in his career with an .804 OPS, a home run and an RBI in 17 career at-bats against Lynn.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (ankle) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This comes as little surprise after Cruz was forced to exit early during Sunday's game due to an ankle issue. It's the same ankle that Cruz fractured last season, so the Pirates aren't taking any chances. For now, Cruz is considered as day-to-day, so hopefully he'll be back in the lineup later this week. In the meantime, Billy Cook will cover center field and bat ninth versus right-hander Andre Pallante. Cook has been quiet with the bat during his brief time in the MLB and can be avoided as a streaming option.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) left early during Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Cruz left the game after slipping in the outfield, but is considered as day-to-day. Manager Derek Shelton said Cruz was pulled for precautionary reasons and is dealing with ankle discomfort. This sounds like a day-to-day type of issue that shouldn't require a trip to the injured list. Cruz is still getting comfortable with his new spot in the outfield, but the Pirates want to see him out there long term. Michael A. Taylor replaced Cruz in center field on Sunday. Taylor will likely see more time out there until Cruz is back, but he doesn't offer much value with his .190 batting average.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is making his first career start in center field and will bat third on Wednesday against the division-rival Chicago Cubs and right-hander Kyle Hendricks at PNC Park. With Cruz in the outfield, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is at short and batting leadoff. The Pirates mentioned earlier this week that they were going to ease Cruz into center-field duties earlier this week, with this being the first start of his professional career in that spot. Pittsburgh will roll with Kiner-Falefa and Nick Gonzales up the middle the rest of the way. On days Cruz doesn't play in center, he will be the designated hitter. Already a must-start in all fantasy formats, Cruz's value will only go up with more positional flexibility heading into the 2025 season. In his career against Hendricks in five at-bats, he's hitting .200 with a homer and an RBI.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced during his pre-game press conference on Monday that shortstop Oneil Cruz will start seeing time in center field. The Pirates haven't released their starting lineup for Monday's contest against the division-rival Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, but fantasy managers should expect the change to take effect immediately. It means that Cruz's already high fantasy value will be further boosted when he eventually gains outfield eligibility. With Cruz moving to center field, the Bucs plan to use Isiah Kiner-Falefa as their starting shortstop and Nick Gonzales as their starting second baseman the rest of the way in 2024. The 25-year-old Cruz has never played in a professional game in center field before. If the Pirates choose to ease Cruz into his new position, on days he's not in center field, he's expected to serve as the designated hitter.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is back in the starting lineup on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park, serving as the designated hitter and batting second against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at the 6 and bat leadoff for the Bucs. Fantasy managers have to be thrilled that Cruz is back in action after he was pulled early in Friday's series-opening win over the M's when he tweaked his left ankle running the bases in the seventh inning. The 25-year-old's injury obviously wasn't very serious, and he should remain in starting fantasy lineups everywhere. The Dominican shortstop has been excellent since the All-Star break and even better in August, going 16-for-42 (.381) with a homer, four doubles, seven RBI and three stolen bases in 11 games. Cruz has never faced Castillo in his career.