Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (back) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the New York Mets. Cruz is set to miss his fourth game in a row due to back soreness that he suffered over the weekend. It doesn't sound like the Pirates want to place him on the injured list, but they might be forced to if he doesn't start getting better. In his absence, Ji Hwan Bae will cover center field and bat eighth versus right-hander Clay Holmes. The Pirates are off on Thursday, so fantasy managers will need to check back on Friday for another update on Cruz.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (back) continues to sit out for Tuesday's contest at Citi Field against the hosting New York Mets. Ji Hwan Bae will get the start in center field for the Bucs and will hit eighth against Mets right-hander Kodai Senga. A sore back has now kept Cruz out for a third straight game. If the 26-year-old is unable to return to the lineup by later this week/weekend, it could turn into an injured-list situation, so fantasy managers must keep a close eye out. Cruz hasn't homered since April 26, has one extra-base hit in May and has gone 6-for-31 (.194) with eight walks and 14 strikeouts in nine games this month to drop his season line to .238/.369/.462. The Dominican is still a must-roster player in all fantasy leagues and has eight homers, 16 RBI and 23 runs in 130 at-bats. Bae has gone hitless in only five at-bats this year, although he does have two stolen bases.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Cruz will miss his second straight game after being pulled from Saturday's game early against the Atlanta Braves with lower-back tightness. Alexander Canario is making another start in center field for the Bucs and will hit seventh against Mets left-hander David Peterson. Cruz is considered day-to-day. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if the 26-year-old is feeling good enough to play in Game 2 of the series in Queens. The 25-year-old Canario profiles as a low-upside DFS sleeper near the bottom of Pittsburgh's batting order against Peterson. He has never faced Peterson in his career and is sitting on just eight hits in 50 at-bats in 2025 with two home runs, three RBI and six runs scored.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (back) is out of the team's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the visiting Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. Alexander Canario is getting the start in center field and will bat sixth against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Cruz will take a seat on Sunday after being forced from Saturday's contest in the ninth inning with lower-back tightness. For now, fantasy managers should consider the 26-year-old to be day-to-day and check back for more updates. It remains to be seen if he'll be available to return for Monday's series opener versus the New York Mets on the road. If Cruz is forced to miss significant time, Canario and Ji Hwan Bae could share playing time in center field for Pittsburgh. Canario is hitting .146 (7-for-48) on the year with two home runs and three RBI and should be avoided in fantasy on Sunday against last year's National League Cy Young winner.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz (back) made a late exit during Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Cruz appears to have tweaked his back during the ninth inning of this contest. As a result, Cruz was removed from the contest and replaced by Matt Gorski in center field. Before exiting, Cruz was 0-for-4 with a walk, stolen base, and a run scored. The team is considering Cruz day-to-day with back tightness, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to miss much time. Gorski will likely see more time in center field if Cruz misses some action. Fantasy managers will have to check back on Sunday for an update on Cruz.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz swiped two bags during their loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday evening. Cruz also scored two runs and drew two walks. Through the first month of the campaign, the 26-year-old has flashed elite five-category upside. Through his first 30 contests, Cruz has held a .245/.364/.519 slash line with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases. Under the hood, he has generated an elite .422 xwOBA with a .580 xSLG, which places him in the 96th and 94th percentile, respectively. In addition, Cruz has shown a strong eye at the plate, drawing walks at a 15.5 percent rate and showing high speed upside, placing in the 88th percentile in sprint speed. Given his ability to hit for power and make an impact on the basepaths, he remains a must-start option in all standard formats.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop/outfielder Oneil Cruz had both a home run and a stolen base in the Pirates' 3-0 win over the Angels on Wednesday night. His stolen base came in the third inning, and his home run was a solo shot off Jack Kochanowicz in the fifth inning. Cruz is up to six home runs and 11 stolen bases on the season and is hitting .247 with a .370 wOBA. He has always been a Statcast darling, and he has continued that trend with a 55.6% hard-hit rate and an 18.55 barrel rate. Cruz has looked very comfortable in the leadoff spot for the Pirates and should continue to be an elite fantasy producer with plenty of upside as long as he can stay healthy, especially in home runs and steals. He was part of the 20-20 club last year with 21 homers and 22 stolen bases, but he is on base to finish much better in both categories in 2025.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz is not in Sunday's lineup when they conclude a series against the Cleveland Guardians. Cruz has been in the starting nine in each of the previous seven contests and will get a much-needed day off. During this stretch, the 26-year-old has posted a .269/.367/.654 slash line with one double, three home runs, and three stolen bases. Through 19 games this season, Cruz has held a .234/.363/.500 slash line with five long balls and 10 stolen bases. Under the hood, he has generated an elite 20.5 percent barrel rate and a 54.5 percent hard-hit rate, which are both well above the average marks, which suggests his power production should continue to climb during the summer. Fantasy managers should expect Cruz to return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Angels. This afternoon, Alexander Canario will cover center field and bat in the five-hole.

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.