O’Neil Cruz undergoes surgery on a broken ankle

Pittsburgh – Diagnostics in.

Prior to Monday night’s 8-2 loss to the Astros at PNC Park, the Pirates announced that they expect O’Neil Cruz to be back in action in four months after he underwent surgery Sunday night following his embarrassing collision with White Sox catcher Sebe Zavala, in a crash. which hit Cruz and caused the seats to be cleaned.

The surgery, which was performed by Dr. Greg Altman and Dr. Darren Frank at Allegheny General Hospital, stabilized Cruz’s fractured left fibula and treated a fibrous joint syndrome injury to which ligaments located near the ankle are connected. Manager Derek Shilton expressed relief that the injury was confined to the ankle area and not other parts of the left leg.

Shelton said he visited Cruz in the hospital Sunday night and FaceTimed him Monday morning, noting that Cruz was in better spirits after surgery. When asked about Cruise’s schedule, Shelton said he takes more solace in the fact that Cruise is doing just fine.

“The biggest thing for me today was when we faced him and he smiled,” Chilton said. “You guys have been all around him. That smile is contagious. So, just to see that from him a little bit, that’s where I worry the most. We’re talking about a 24-year-old here. … What worries me more is the child than the anxiety regarding the timeline or what is happening.”

With Cruz on the injured list for the next several months, Shelton said Rodolfo Castro will get the majority of his starts at short notice. Castro primarily played second base during his Major League career, but the 23-year-old is most familiar with the shortstop, having struck out 161 major league runs and 426 Minor League runs at center field.

His confidence in Castro is “high,” Shelton said, referring to the tough play Castro made in the eighth inning of Sunday’s win to prevent Tim Anderson from reaching base. Time in position too.

“Obviously losing Oneil is a blow because it’s a big part of what we do on both sides of the ball,” Shilton said on Sunday. “The other side of that, because of the depth we’ve created over the last couple of years we’re probably in a better place to deal with it than we were previously.”

“Physically and mentally, I’m ready for whatever position they put me in to play,” Castro, who hit an RBI single and worked a walk in Monday’s loss, told team translator Steven Morales on Monday. “I am ready for whatever the team needs me for.”

For the Buccaneers, Cruz’s loss is their first real test of the season. They’ve started the season strong, winning six of their first nine and posting back-to-back wins, a feat they’ve only accomplished once this past season. The atmosphere has been great so far, but Cruz’s injury has the real potential to squash that momentum.

As Andrew McCutcheon said on Sunday, there is no substitute for Cruz, a unique talent with an unparalleled combination of strength, speed and arm strength. For now, all the Buccaneers can do is adopt the next guy mentality and try to match Cruise’s production in total.

“No one likes to see one of your friends get hurt and have to waste time,” said Brian Reynolds, who was named the National League Most Valuable Player for his play last week. “I said from the start that our identity bounces back from negative things throughout the games. It will be just another test for us, but I think we will respond well to it.”

“It gives someone else a chance to show what they can do, no matter what,” McCutcheon said Sunday. “It gives them a chance to get more hits under their belts or whatever. A prime example: Josh Harrison. He’s a guy who was kind of a volatile guy, a choice guy. In 2014, he got a chance because someone fell and he became an All-Star and he became history.” from there.”

With Cruz on the 10-day injured list, the Pirates called up utility man Mark Mathias from Triple-A Indianapolis. Mathias primarily played second base, hitting more than 2,000 Minor League runs there, but he did spend some time around the diamond. Along with 406 career runs at third base and 203 Minor League runs at shortstop, Mathias played first base, left field, and right field.

Besides his defensive versatility, Shilton has praised Matthias’ offensive production over the past two seasons. In 2022, Mathias posted . 940 OPS in 58 Minor League games and . 825 OPS in 30 Major League games. In nine games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season, Mathias smashed . 333/. 459/. 467 with a home run and a double.