The Pittsburgh Pirates activated center fielder Oneil Cruz from the 60-day injured list ahead of Monday’s home game against the Detroit Tigers, ending a 58-game absence due to non-displaced fractures in the fourth and fifth metacarpals of his left hand.
Cruz has been sidelined since June 7, one day after sustaining the injury when sliding into home plate against the Atlanta Braves. Before the injury, the 27-year-old was on pace for a career year, hitting 14 homers — seven off his career high — with 44 RBIs and a career-best .264 batting average over 64 games.
Cruz is a career .237 hitter with 74 homers and 242 RBIs over six seasons with the Pirates.
As a corresponding move, Pittsburgh optioned outfielder Ronny Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis.