6 months agoPittsburgh 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 months agoPittsburgh 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 months agoPittsburgh 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
6 months agoPittsburgh 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.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: mlb.com
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