An unfortunate play occurred on the weekend, in the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox.
In Sunday’s 1-0 affair that saw the Bucs come through with the win, they lost an important asset for a significant period of time.
Starting shortstop Oneil Cruz, one of the most exciting players in the game, fractured his fibula on a hard slide at home plate.
The Pirates announced he got surgery and he will be out of action for the next four months.
Oneil Cruz had surgery last evening at Allegheny General Hospital by Dr. Greg Altman and Dr. Darren Frank. The surgery stabilized the fractured fibula and addressed the injury to the syndesmosis.
We anticipate a return to action in 4 months.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 10, 2023
Four months would knock Cruz out at least until August.
At that point, if the Pirates manage to stay in the race without one of its best players, it would be a shocking development.
Fans were obviously crushed on Twitter.
Wishing Oneil the very best. He is a special talent and I can’t wait to see him back on the field
—Mark Gubicza (@Markgubicza) April 10, 2023
😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺 pic.twitter.com/QdcA2rM73z
—B-Wall (@BWall) April 10, 2023
Even his teammate Andrew McCutchen expressed sympathy towards his teammate via Twitter.
Sucks for my guy Cruz. Dude is an absolute beast. Hate to see anyone go down with an injury but especially your own. Tough blow for everybody on this side but we got a good group of guys here. Heal up lil/big bro🙏🏾
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) April 10, 2023
Still, the Pirates have been performing well in the early going.
Please do not let this injury take all the momentum from this team 🙏 Get well soon Oneil!
— Seth Ross (@SJRERA7) April 10, 2023
With a 6-3 record, they are second in the NL Central division behind the 7-2 Milwaukee Brewers.
Bryan Reynolds is playing out of his mind at the moment, with five homers and a .919 slugging percentage.
He has been carrying the Pirates.
Still, once he cools off some, the true talent of the Pirates roster will be tested.
Cruz was part of that contingent expected to improve the Pirates’ outlook for the 2023 campaign.
He was doing a commendable job with a 106 wRC+ (100 is considered league average offensive performance), a homer, three steals, a healthy 17.5 percent walk rate, and solid defensive play at a crucial position.
It’s a shame he has to miss the next four months at a minimum.
Hopefully, he comes back stronger.
NEXT:
The Pirates Could Swing A Specific Big Trade To Replace Oneil Cruz
