According to a report, Oneil Cruz is beginning a rehab assignment in Triple-A Indianapolis.
Pirates beat reporter Alex Stumpf reports Cruz will play for the Indians on Friday.
Cruz was cleared for baseball activities last week, but was placed on the 60-day injured list last month with a broken hand.
Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington said on his Insider Show earlier this week that Cruz was expected to begin a rehab assignment soon.
“The bones are healed, he’s doing all baseball activities,” said Cherington. “It’s really just a matter of now, the bones are healed, but as you know, swinging the bat puts a lot of pressure on the hand and he’s sort of re-acclimating to swinging the bat at full force now that his bones are healed.”
Cruz was injured back in early June, sliding headfirst into home plate.
Cruz will be a welcome addition to a Pirates offense that has struggled since the All-Star break.
