Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz will be batting eighth in the lineup against Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery. While Cruz generally hits near the top of the lineup, the Pirates will sometimes put him near the bottom of the order when facing lefties. Fantasy managers shouldn't freak out about his drop in the lineup, but DFS managers may want to take note with Cruz slated to get fewer chances at the plate tonight. While the lefty has hit for a solid 118 OPS+ on the season, his production drops off a cliff when facing lefties. He hits for a .550 OPS against southpaws compared to an .857 OPS against righties. Fantasy managers should temper expectations for the 25-year-old tonight and DFS players would be wise to avoid including Cruz in their lineups.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate in Friday's 9-8 loss to the Diamondbacks, with one of his hits going for extra bases, a double in the first inning. The 25-year-old also drove in two runs, scored twice, and stole his 10th bag of the season. The Dominican is coming off his best month of the season so far, slashing .271/.323/.553 with five home runs, 18 RBI, and three stolen bases. He now owns a .257-17-56-51-10 line on the season with a .330 wOBA and 112 wRC+, putting him in the top 15 at the position for fantasy.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (lat) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice before Saturday's game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Jones threw a 38-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, and he will be re-evaluated afterwards to determine what his next steps are. There's no definitive return timeline for him yet, but Jones is going to need to throw some form of rehab innings before rejoining Pittsburgh's rotation, director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said. Before going down with a Grade 2 right lat strain, the 22-year-old upstart right-hander delivered a 3.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 27 walks covering 91 innings (16 starts) for the Pirates this season. Jones still has plenty of time to get back into the fold for fantasy managers before the end of August, and there's reason for optimism that he'll commence a minor-league rehab assignment within the next week or so.

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (knee) has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. The 29-year-old is enjoying a breakout season at the plate, so this is a nice addition to the Pirates lineup. He's slashing .292/.338/.420 with seven home runs and 33 RBI in 82 games. He figures to find his way into the everyday lineup, but his position could be changing. In exchange for Kiner-Falefa, the Blue Jays will receive outfielder Charles McAdoo. A 22-year-old that is hitting fairly well at the Double-A level this season. It shouldn't be too long before he's making an impact in Toronto. As for Kiner-Falefa he'll be in Pittsburgh through at least 2025 with a $7.5 million salary for this season and 2025.

Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, the Marlins traded De La Cruz after moving Josh Bell and Jazz Chisholm Jr. as well. The 27-year-old is putting together a strong season in 2024. He's slashing .245/.289./417 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI in 105 games with the Marlins. His slash line could be better, but his power numbers have heavily improved this season. A move to a more hitter-friendly park should help his numbers as well. In exchange for De La Cruz, the Marlins will receive right-hander Jun-Seok Shim and infielder Garret Forrester.