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Cruz

Cruz hit one to the smokestacks in the first inning off Hunter Greene, and if you’re not familiar with the Cincinnati layout, that’s a long way away. Estimated at 442 feet far away Cruz has gone deep 21 times in a season that has showcased his immense talent, but at times reminded of why he’s likely to be a frustrating option going forward.

Cruz got us too excited with his big spring, which he followed with a bad April, but this has been a really strong season on the whole. He’s now at 20 homers and 22 steals to go along with a .267/.326/.461 line that’s good for about a 118 OPS+. It’s disappointing that his run (70) and RBI (75) aren’t a little better, but that’s mostly on his teammates.

Cruz picked up the injury while slipping in the outfield, and it’s worth pointing out how new the former shortstop is to that position. "[Cruz] was able to run, he made a really good base-running play later in the game but it just stiffened up,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. It sounds like this is mostly precautionary, but fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on the situation — particularly with so little baseball left, and none of it meaningful for Pittsburgh.

Cruz walked with the bases loaded to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead in the first and the 25-year-old outfielder his 72nd RBI. The steal was the 22nd of the year for the 6-foot-7 potential star. Cruz will frustrate fantasy managers at times, but there’s an awful lot of good that comes with the bad.

Cruz’ home run was his 19th of the year to go along with his 21 stolen bases. He hit a solo shot off Valente Bellozo in the first inning. It was Cruz’ first home run since August 9th. He’s hitting .269 with a .791 OPS and 70 RBI this year.

And so it begins. Early this week the Pirates had mentioned Cruz would see some time in center field to wrap up the season and after two days as a DH, Cruz will make his first career start in center field at any level. There may be some growing pains, but luckily we don’t play in fantasy leagues that penalize for defense. With Cruz in center field, Isiah Kiner-Falefa will remain the team’s starting shortstop with Jared Triolo at third base.

It makes some sense. The talented 25-year-old has a -3 Outs Above Average at shortstop this season and has a -13 mark for his career. If you prefer Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) then he has a -3.4 mark in that and if you like Error Runs Above Average (ErrR) then he sits at -3.9. Essentially, he has been a below-average shortstop, and the Pirates are recognizing that. Cruz is 6'7" which is not common for centerfielders, but moving to the outfield is likely the best chance for Cruz to remain on the field as an everyday player for the long term. There’s no indication of how soon this will take place, but it seems like Cruz may have multi-position eligibility in leagues next season.

Cruz tripled off Rangers starter Cody Bradford in the fourth inning to drive in Bryan De La Cruz and push the Pirates’ lead to 3-0. The Pirates shortstop has now hit safely in five of his last seven games and is slashing a blistering .346/.424/.500 in the month of August with six extra-base hits and seven RBI.

It’s an extremely encouraging sign that Cruz is feeling well enough to serve as Pittsburgh’s designated hitter on Saturday afternoon following an early exit from Friday’s contest due to left ankle discomfort. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern moving forward, which is a relief for fantasy managers.

The 25-year-old shortstop sustained the injury as he slipped while rounding second base after a two-run double in Friday’s game. It doesn’t sound like anything that should require an extended absence, but he’s still being evaluated. Look for the Pirates to provide an update on his status on Saturday.