Pittsburgh Pirates DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz swatted his 11th homer of the year in Monday's 11-5 loss at the Cincinnati Reds. Cruz, whose homer went an estimated 458 feet, finished 2-for-5 with three RBI as he went deep for the second time in three games. Despite the recent power surge, Cruz is slashing .243/.296/.433 with 34 RBI, 34 runs scored, and six stolen bases in seven attempts. Brimming with talent, Cruz is a fantasy staple since he's capable of contributing in a variety of categories. On the flip side, fantasy managers have to endure Cruz's stretches of swinging and missing as he is on pace to strike out 189 times.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar (side) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday afternoon with left side tightness. He was unavailable for Saturday's game and clearly needs extra time to recover. It is unclear how long he will be sidelined for. Bednar has been more sporadic than normal in 2024 as evidenced by his 5.17 ERA, but he has still converted 16-of-19 save opportunities and produced a 9.19 K/9. Aroldis Chapman should be the main beneficiary in Bednar's absence as he collected the save on Saturday. Chapman owns a 4.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, two saves, 13 holds and 45:27 K:BB this season. He is a worthwhile pickup for fantasy managers that are desperate for saves in the short term.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk and his 10th home run of the season, a 445-foot blast into the Allegheny River, in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rays. Cruz was batting .295 in June until a 1-for-13 stretch over his last four games, so he's back to hitting just .250 in June. For the season, the 25-year-old owns a .243/.295/.427 slashline. His OBP is so low partly because his BB% is below-average at 6.9%, but his SLG is high because, on the back of an 18.1% Barrel%, they tend to go for extra bases when he hits it. A 32.7% K% and 68.7% Contact% are going to limit his batting average, so hopefully he can keep slugging. Fantasy managers who drafted the Dominican surely were hoping for better than a 99 wRC+ season, however.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs and a hit-by-pitch in Saturday's 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. He took Guardians right-hander Ben Lively deep in the top of the third inning for his first home run of the game. The 29-year-old later smashed another solo shot in the top of the eighth inning for his second long ball on Saturday. He has collected a hit in seven straight games, hitting .384 (10-for-23) with two home runs, five RBI, and three runs scored during the streak. Fantasy managers can use Kiner-Falefa as a streamer while he's wielding a hot bat.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar (side) was unavailable Saturday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays, per manager Derek Shelton. He is dealing with left-side soreness. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth and earned his second save. Bednar has three wins, 16 saves, a 5.17 ERA, and 32 strikeouts in 31 innings. It is unknown how serious the injury is or how long Bednar might be out. Should he miss any time, look for Chapman to fill in for him in the short term.