Cruz has gone 3-for-12 with two home runs and three stolen bases across 12 at-bats in Grapefruit League action.
Cruz popped his second homer of spring on a hanging changeup during Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays. He's showcased his fantasy-friendly profile early in spring thanks to his power and aggressiveness on the basepaths, though he's also struck out six times.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Coming back from illness
Rotowire
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Cruz is being brought along slowly in spring training because he came to camp with an illness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Cruz is no longer ill, but since the ailment had prevented him from doing workouts for a while, the Pirates are taking it easy on him in the early weeks of camp. The center fielder has played in one of the team's first four Grapefruit League games, picking up a single and a stolen base Tuesday versus Atlanta. Cruz should be ready for a regular workload soon.
