Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz suffered an injury in a collision with left fielder Jack Suwinski that resulted in a concussion. Less than two week removed from the head injury, Cruz will return to the baseball diamond in a minor league assignment.
Cruz will rehab with Double-A, according to Pirates reporter Alex Stumpf.
Oneil Cruz will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona tonight
The Pirates centerfielder is one of the rising stars of the game. Nobody in the league, even Aaron Judge & Shohei Ohtani, hits the ball harder than Cruz can. He proved it in the MLB Home Run Derby earlier this year. Cruz has 18 home runs and 51 RBIs and is batting .207 on the season. He carries a .702 OPS with 34 stolen bases.
Cruz will begin his minor league rehab start on Saturday.
Oneil Cruz lands on Pirates' injured list
Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz suffered a scary head injury when he collided with left fielder Jack Sunwinski and sustained a concussion. Fortunately, Cruz is on the path to making a recovery in light of his minor league start to get him headed into the right direction of making his return.
Oneil Cruz was removed from the game with a head injury likely from this play pic.twitter.com/37Cc6rnMfP
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 13, 2025
With the second-worst record in the National League, the Pirates have found some momentum over the past few games but are still 4-6 in their last 10 games. However, Cruz has undoubtedly been a silver lining throughout the 2025 MLB season. After beating the Blue Jays 2-1 in Cruz's absence, the Pirates shutout the Rockies 9-0 on Friday.
In his Major League debut, starting pitcher Bubba Chandler threw a 100 mph fastball while making history. He is the first Pirates pitcher ever to record a four-inning save in his debut and just the fourth player in MLB history to do so since the save became an official stat in 1969.
The PNC Park crowd serenaded him with chants of “Bubba!” during his postgame interview, an emphatic welcome for a player they’ve been waiting to see.
“I don’t think it could have gone much better,” Chandler said afterward, reflecting on the moment.
Designated hitter Andrew McCutchen knocked in four RBIs while first baseman Spencer Horwitz and left fielder Tommy Pham finished with two RBIs in the win. The Pirates finished with a whopping 14 hits that they converted into nine runs in the shutout victory on Friday night.
The Priates will host the Rockies on Saturday and Sunday to finish out their three-game series this weekend.
