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Pittsburgh — Diagnosing.
Prior to Monday night’s 8-2 loss to the Astros at PNC Park, the Pirates said O’Neill Cruz, who underwent surgery on Sunday night after an awkward clash with White Sox catcher Sevy Zavala, is within four months of action. announced that it expects to return to Injured Cruz and cleared the bench.
The surgery, performed at Allegheny General Hospital by Dr. Greg Altman and Dr. Darren Frank, stabilized Cruz’s left fractured fibula and caused syndesmosis, a fibrous joint held together by ligaments near the ankle. Manager Derek Shelton was a little relieved that the injury was limited to his ankle and not the rest of his left leg.
Shelton said she visited Cruise at the hospital Sunday night and sent him a FaceTime on Monday morning, saying Cruise was feeling better after the surgery. He said he found more comfort in the fact that he was fine.
“The biggest thing for me today was when I FaceTimed him and he smiled,” Shelton said. That smile is contagious. So to see a little bit of it from him, that’s where I’m more concerned. … My concern is more with the kids than worrying about schedules or what’s going on. ”
With Cruz on the disabled list for the next few months, Shelton said Rodolfo Castro will make up the bulk of the starting lineup at shortstop. But the 23-year-old is no stranger to shortstops, pitching 161 innings in the major leagues and 426 in the minor leagues.
Shelton said confidence in Castro was “high”, citing a tough play Castro made at shortstop in the eighth inning of Sunday’s win to keep Tim Anderson on base. position time.
“Obviously, losing O’Neal is a blow because he’s a big part of what we’re doing on both sides of the ball,” Shelton said Sunday. You’re probably in a place where you can handle better than ever. ”
“I’m physically and mentally ready to play any position they give me,” Castro, who hit and walked in Monday’s loss, said team interpreter Steven Monday. “I am ready to accept whatever the team needs of me,” said Morales.
For the Pirates, the loss of Cruz is the first real test of the season. They started the season strong, taking his 6 of his 9 wins in the first to clinch the series title. The atmosphere has been great so far, but Cruz’s injury has the real potential to crush that momentum.
As Andrew McCutchen said on Sunday, nothing can replace Cruz, a one-of-a-kind talent with an unparalleled combination of power, speed and arm strength. , Adopting the next-man-up mentality and trying to match Cruz’s production comprehensively.
“Nobody wants to see their friend get hurt and have to miss time,” said Brian Reynolds, who was named the National League’s Player of the Week for his play last week. “I’ve said from the beginning that our identities are resilient through the game. It’s going to be another challenge for us, but I think we’ll handle it well.”
“It gives someone else the chance to show what they can do, no matter who it is,” McCutchen said Sunday. “It gives them the opportunity to get more at-bats under their belt. A prime example: Josh Harrison. He was kind of a man of ups and downs, a man of options.” got the chance to become an All-Star when someone was defeated, and history began from there.
With Cruz on the 10-day injured list, the Pirates recalled utility man Mark Matthias from Triple-A Indianapolis. Mathias primarily played second base and in the minor leagues he has scored over 2,000 innings, but has spent his time around the diamond. Matthias has played 406 innings at third base professionally and 203 innings in the minor leagues, as well as first base, left field, and right field.
Shelton praised Matthias’ attacking achievements over the last two seasons, in addition to his defensive versatility. In 2022, Matthias recorded his OPS. 940 in his 58 games in his league in the minors and his OPS. 825 in his 30 games in his league in the majors. In his nine games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season, Matthias posted . 333 / . 459 / .
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