Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

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.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted infielder Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis. In a corresponding move, the Pirates optioned right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton to Triple-A. Peguero has spent 63 games in Pittsburgh over the past three seasons and held an overall .237/.280/.370 slash line with seven home runs. He spent most of his time in the majors during the 2023 campaign, where he posted a .237/.280/.374 line. Through the start of the Triple-A regular season, Peguero has held a modest .258/.309/.382 line with six doubles and one home run. Fantasy managers should expect Peguero to have a utility role in the big leagues. As a result, he should only be targeted in deeper NL-only formats if he is given opportunities during this stint.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes allowed three earned runs on five hits in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The 22-year-old fell to 3-3 on the season, striking out two batters while allowing four free passes. Skenes cruised through the first four innings in this one, but ran into trouble in the fifth, letting up a home run to Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson to give Chicago its first run of the game. He'd retire the next two batters, but Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki would jack back-to-back long balls before he could escape the inning. Fortunately, they were all solo shots, but the Cubs would chase him from the mound afterward. It was just the second time this season that the California native struck out fewer than six batters, and the first time he walked more than two. Skenes will look for better results his next time out, which projects to come against the St. Louis Cardinals early next week.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds went 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, and two RBI in his team's 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. The veteran outfielder put the Pirates on the board in the bottom of the first inning to give them a 1-0 lead. He drove in his second run on a fielder's choice in the eighth to bring them within two runs of Chicago. However, that'd be the final run they could push across. Reynolds broke out of a 0-for-16 slump at the dish a few days ago with a two-hit effort and followed that up by blasting his fourth homer of the season -- and first in two weeks. He hasn't quite come around yet regarding his average (.238), but that should begin to pick up soon, as statcast has him pegged for a serviceable .267 xBA, which is closer to what we expect from him.

The New York Yankees claimed outfielder Bryan De La Cruz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves on Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. To make room for De La Cruz on the 40-man roster, the Yankees moved outfielder/designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) to the 60-day injured list. De La Cruz began the 2025 season with Atlanta and went 9-for-47 (.191) with a double, one stolen base, one run, three walks and 18 strikeouts in 16 games for the Braves. The 28-year-old Dominican will now head to the American League East and will serve as minor-league outfield depth for the Yankees to start. If De La Cruz makes it back to the big leagues in the Bronx, he'll most likely be operating in a reserve outfield role off the bench.