ST. LOUIS — For much of this minor league season, the exploits of Oneil Cruz have been a regular occurrence on social media. Opposite-field doubles produced with a flick of the wrists. Home runs crushed onto the roller coaster beyond the right-field wall at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Circus plays at shortstop.
Now, Pirates fans could soon see Cruz nailing runners at home plate, as his shift to the outfield has picked up steam. The club’s third-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, Cruz has restarted individual work in the outfield and will eventually appear in games out there for Class AA Altoona, Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Thursday.
“He’s having a really good year at the plate,” Shelton said before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. “Any time you can play multiple positions, it’s a really good thing.”
Cruz has mentioned multiple times that he envisions himself as a shortstop long-term, and this doesn’t take away from that. However, it may make the most sense to keep Cruz in the outfield, if this experiment sticks. And not just because he’s made 60 errors in 211 minor league games at shortstop.
Liover Peguero and Nick Gonzales, playing together at High-A Greensboro, could comprise Pittsburgh’s middle infield of the future. It’s also possible the Pirates select a shortstop with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft next month.
The outfield, meanwhile, is less certain. Canaan Smith-Njigba and Cal Mitchell, a pair of Cruz’s current teammates with the Curve, are possibilities, the same for Travis Swaggerty, Jared Oliva or Anthony Alford at Class AAA Indianapolis. But no one there has Cruz’s immense power or rocket arm.
It’s probably too early to predict whether Cruz will feel more comfortable in right field — where his arm would be a huge asset — or center, although the latter could make the transition easier because he’ll get truer reads off the bat. At 6-foot-7, he would also need about four strides to range gap-to-gap.
Another change for Cruz will involve his throwing motion. Outfielders typically have a longer arm stroke, which happens because they’re often prioritizing velocity and carry over having a quick release, the opposite of a middle infielder trying to turn two.
That can occasionally cause issues, although sometimes it’s best to simply throw the way you throw, not change anything too drastically and make sure to continue your arm stroke when you’re in the outfield.
“Our messaging to him is just going to be throw the way you throw, because the ball comes out of his hand hot anyway,” Shelton said.
Another focal point for Cruz, Shelton said, will be for him to keep moving his feet and stay athletic.
Offensively, Cruz has been tremendous this season. He recently enjoyed a 21-game on-base streak, during which he produced six doubles, two triples, six homers and 17 RBIs. Entering Thursday’s games, only seven hitters in the Class AA Northeast had a higher OPS (.908) than Cruz.
Yajure to 60-day IL
In a move that was likely unavoidable because of how long it would have taken him to return, Pirates prospect Miguel Yajure was shifted from the seven-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Thursday.
Yajure, a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher, has been out with right elbow discomfort but has recently started throwing again at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.
Because it happened with Class AAA Indianapolis, the move does not open a spot on the Pirates’ 40-man roster, a team official confirmed. It does, however, back date to June 2, when Yajure was first placed on the seven-day IL.
That means that Yajure would be eligible to return in early August, either in the minor or major leagues.
“It has nothing to do with how he’s progressing or what he’s doing,” Shelton said. “Just more of a paper move.”
Acquired this offseason in the Jameson Taillon deal, Yajure is considered the Pirates’ 11th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Yajure made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2020 and started twice for the Pirates this season, going 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA (9 1/3 innings) with three walks and eight strikeouts.
In three starts at Class AAA, Yajure went 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA (17 innings), five walks and 17 strikeouts. The last of those came on May 26.
“We’ve seen flashes in a small sample size at the big league level,” Shelton said. “We’ve seen him attack major league hitters. But first and foremost, the most important thing for us and for him is just him getting healthy.”
Around the horn
Sam Howard (right knee tendinitis) threw a bullpen before Thursday’s game with no limitations or issues. He’s eligible to come off the 10-day injured list next Tuesday. … Michael Perez gave Jacob Stallings an unexpected day off behind the plate. Shelton said his No. 1 catcher is “a little banged up” and would be looking for places to give Stallings more of a break.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: June 24, 2021, 9:30 p.m.
