PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Oneil Cruz was given a private talking to when he didn’t hustle after a ball that got by him in centerfield on Friday. Tuesday when he didn’t run hard on a ground ball, Pirates manager Don Kelly had enough.
Kelly pulled Cruz from the game, a 9-3 loss at Milwaukee, after loafing on a double play ball.
“Energy and effort going down the line,” Kelly said of exactly why he benched him on a question from the Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles. “I think we were pretty clear the other day and he knows the expectation going forward.”
“We talked. He knows the expectation and right there he fell a little short.”
Cruz said, through translator and Pirates coach Stephen Morales, he understands and Kelly had the right to do that what he did. Cruz said on Sportsnet Pittsburgh he backs up what his manager did. The 26-year-old said he thought there were two outs (there was only one), that’s why he let up running down the first-base line.
A cornerstone for the Pirates future, Cruz hit just .202 in May, but is worse in June. The left-handed hitter has a .156 average this month with a .221 slugging percentage. Cruz has one game, June 4, where he had multiple hits. He’s had 11 games in June with multiple strikeouts. Cruz has three extra-base hits this month. Nick Gonzales has as many in the last two games.
Kelly would not say if Cruz will be in the lineup Wednesday afternoon as Paul Skenes starts the last game of the series in Milwaukee.