The Pirates got a jolt of good news Monday, activating Oneil Cruz off the 60-day injured list ahead of their series against the Tigers. It's been a long road back for the 27-year-old, who fractured the 4th and 5th metacarpals in his left hand sliding into home plate against the Braves on June 6.
Cruz was placed on the 10-day IL right after the injury, then transferred to the 60-day version on July 18 to buy Pittsburgh some roster flexibility while he healed. All told, he missed 72 days of action before finally getting the call back up.
Before the hand injury, Cruz was doing exactly what makes him one of the most electric players in baseball when healthy: hitting.264/.350/.472 with 14 home runs, 44 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. That's the full power-speed package Pittsburgh has been waiting on him to unlock for years, and it disappeared the moment his hand hit the plate in June.
To get back on the field, Cruz needed a 6-game rehab assignment split between Triple-A Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona to knock the rust off. The Pirates also activated reliever Yohan Ramirez off the paternity list in a corresponding move, sending Hunter Barco and Ronny Simon back down to Indianapolis to clear space.
The timing matters. Pittsburgh is chasing an NL Wild Card spot and currently sits 6.5 games back of the Padres with about a month left in the season. Getting a bat like Cruz's back in the lineup — one that can single-handedly change a game with a homer or a stolen base — is as close to a trade-deadline addition as a banged-up roster can get this late in August.
There's no guarantee Cruz picks up right where he left off after more than 2 months out, but if he's even close to the player he was pre-injury, the Pirates just got a lot more dangerous down the stretch.