Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is back in the starting lineup on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park, serving as the designated hitter and batting second against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at the 6 and bat leadoff for the Bucs. Fantasy managers have to be thrilled that Cruz is back in action after he was pulled early in Friday's series-opening win over the M's when he tweaked his left ankle running the bases in the seventh inning. The 25-year-old's injury obviously wasn't very serious, and he should remain in starting fantasy lineups everywhere. The Dominican shortstop has been excellent since the All-Star break and even better in August, going 16-for-42 (.381) with a homer, four doubles, seven RBI and three stolen bases in 11 games. Cruz has never faced Castillo in his career.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out six batters over six innings of work in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Mariners. He also hit a batter. It was the former first-round draft pick's 12th quality start in 16 games started and he now has a sterling 2.30 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 25.5% K-BB%. While there isn't much to complain about, it was the third time in the last four starts that the 22-year-old walked at least three batters, and he's hit a batter in five of seven, so he could be tiring with 125 1/3 IP under his belt this season between the minors and majors. Regardless, as long as he's on the mound fantasy managers should be firing him up.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar earned the save in Friday evening's series-opening win over the visiting Seattle Mariners at PNC Park. Bednar gave up one run on two hits but struck out three batters on Friday against Seattle, freezing Mariners infielder Justin Turner to earn his 21st save of the year and secure the Pirates' 5-3 win in the ninth inning. The 29-year-old veteran right-hander has registered a shaky 5.83 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 44 punchouts and 15 walks while converting 21 of his 26 save opportunities across 41 1/3 frames (44 appearances) as Pittsburgh's stopper this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (knee) left Friday night's win over the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park early due to left-knee discomfort. McCutchen is currently being examined and treated by the medical staff. It was a bad night of injuries for Pittsburgh, as shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) also left late in the game. The 37-year-old McCutchen hurt his knee running to first base on a single in the seventh inning and was replaced at DH by Ji Hwan Bae. McCutchen went 1-for-3 in the game with an RBI and a strikeout. At the very least, he's unlikely to play in the second game of the series on Saturday, but fantasy managers will want to check back for the severity of his knee injury. The five-time All-Star hasn't provided fantasy managers much else besides a modest 16 long balls in his 16th year in the big leagues in 2024.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) was removed from Friday night's win early over the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park due to left-ankle discomfort. Cruz is currently being examined and treated by the medical staff. The 25-year-old appeared to tweak his ankle after hitting a double in the seventh inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa replaced him at shortstop, with Jared Triolo entering the game at second base. Before leaving, Cruz went 1-for-4 with the double, two RBI and a strikeout. Fantasy managers will want to check back for more information on Cruz, who should be considered day-to-day for now. If he's forced to miss extended time due to the ankle injury, Kiner-Falefa would likely become the team's everyday shortstop. Cruz is one of the best young shortstops in the game and entered Friday's contest with a career-high 18 homers, 59 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 107 games.