Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is making his first career start in center field and will bat third on Wednesday against the division-rival Chicago Cubs and right-hander Kyle Hendricks at PNC Park. With Cruz in the outfield, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is at short and batting leadoff. The Pirates mentioned earlier this week that they were going to ease Cruz into center-field duties earlier this week, with this being the first start of his professional career in that spot. Pittsburgh will roll with Kiner-Falefa and Nick Gonzales up the middle the rest of the way. On days Cruz doesn't play in center, he will be the designated hitter. Already a must-start in all fantasy formats, Cruz's value will only go up with more positional flexibility heading into the 2025 season. In his career against Hendricks in five at-bats, he's hitting .200 with a homer and an RBI.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington reiterated that he is confident that left-hander Ryan Borucki (triceps) will return this season. Borucki started a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 17 and has made three appearances, allowing a run in three innings of work. He had his first rehab assignment shut down in July after feeling symptoms in his left forearm and elbow but started throwing again after receiving an injection in early August. The 30-year-old veteran reliever should be able to rejoin Pittsburgh's bullpen for the final month of the season, but he's completely off the fantasy radar. Borucki has only appeared in four games for the Bucs in relief in 2024 and has allowed two earned runs on four hits while walking none and striking out six batters in 3 1/3 innings.

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales (groin) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday. The team designated right-hander Jake Woodford for assignment in a corresponding move. The 25-year-old infielder landed on the shelf on July 28 with a groin pull but will return to being Pittsburgh's everyday starter at the keystone now that he's healthy. The former seventh overall pick in 2020 out of New Mexico State didn't make his 2024 debut until May 10. In his 248 at-bats this year, he's hit .258/.293/.387 with a .680 OPS, only five home runs, 39 RBI and 28 runs scored. Gonzales' counting stats don't stand out, but he can be a useful middle infielder in deep-mixed and NL-only leagues for the final month of the season in an everyday role. He is back at second base on Monday and is hitting cleanup against Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Colin Holderman (wrist) will make at least one more minor-league rehab appearance with Triple-A Indianapolis, even though he was around the major-league club at PNC Park this past Saturday and Sunday. Holderman started his rehab assignment on Aug. 20. Right-handed reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (shoulder) is on a rehab assignment with Indianapolis and is in a similar spot to Holderman for a potential return to the major-league bullpen. Holderman is recovering from a right-wrist sprain suffered on Aug. 8. The 28-year-old reliever is sporting a 3.43 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 42 innings of work this year for the Bucs. Mlodzinski has been on the shelf since late July 30 with a right-shoulder sprain. Both relievers should be able to rejoin Pittsburgh's bullpen soon, but they aren't on the fantasy radar.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on his 93.7 The Fan radio show on Sunday that he was optimistic that third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) will play again in 2024. Hayes was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 19 due to lower-back inflammation, which also kept him out in May for an 18-day stint on the IL. In his last six games, Hayes hit just .042 (1-for-24), and he's hitting .196 in the month of August. It's clear that the 27-year-old's back injury has been affecting his performance for a while. The former first-round pick's numbers have crashed hard this year and he's currently slashing .233/.283/.290 with a .573 OPS, only four home runs, 25 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 38 runs scored. It's unclear how much Hayes might play when he returns, especially if Pittsburgh is eventually eliminated from playoff contention. Hayes' injury has opened up more playing time for Jared Triolo.