MLB Player News

The Pirates placed Cruz (fibula) on the 10-day injured list Monday.

Cruz had surgery Sunday to repair a fractured left fibula and damaged syndesmosis. He's expected to be sidelined for about four months, so the Pirates are likely to move him to the 60-day IL once they need to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. Rodolfo Castro is expected to see the lion's share of playing time at shortstop for the Pirates while Cruz is out.

Schwellenbach (elbow) covered 1.2 no-hit scoreless innings for Single-A Augusta in his season debut Thursday, striking out one while working around two walks.

Schwellenbach threw 26 of his 42 pitches for strikes in the appearance, the first of his professional career after he was selected by Atlanta in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He didn't pitch in either of the 2021 and 2022 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery shortly after being drafted, but he reported to spring training at full health and received the green light to bypass the rookie-ball level entirely.

Rojas went 0-for-3 with a walk in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Rojas returned from a multi-game absence due to a groin injury and appeared to have no issues at the plate or in the field. However, manager Dave Roberts indicated before Rojas' return that the veteran infielder will likely be held out of the lineup Monday for precautionary reasons. Rojas has struggled to get going with the bat thus far, slashing .118/.211/.176 through 19 plate appearances.

The Athletics recalled Smith from Triple-A Las Vegas on Monday.

Smith joins the 26-man active roster as a replacement for outfielder/first baseman Seth Brown (oblique), who was placed on the 10-day injured list. While he's up with Oakland, the righty-hitting Smith could fill the short side of a platoon at third base with the lefty-hitting Jace Peterson.

The Pirates announced that Cruz is expected to miss four months after undergoing surgery Sunday to repair a fractured left fibula and damaged syndesmosis.

Earlier Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reported that Cruz was expected to be out 10-to-12 weeks following surgery to repair a fractured ankle, but the Pirates are not only classifying the shortstop's injury differently but also extending his recovery timeline. Cruz suffered the injury in the sixth inning of Sunday's 1-0 win over the White Sox, when he collided with catcher Seby Zavala at home plate. Rodolfo Castro is expected to receive the first opportunity to fill in for Cruz at shortstop.

Correa was scratched from the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox with what he described as a middle back spasm, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Correa was initially included in the lineup for Monday's series opener, after sitting out Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Astros in what was initially believed to be a maintenance day. However, he'll ultimately be on the bench for a second day in a row as the Twins give Correa more time to recuperate from the injury that cropped up during a play at the plate in Saturday's 9-6 win over Houston. Kyle Farmer will handle shortstop Monday, but Correa is hopeful that he'll be back in action as soon as Tuesday.

Berti went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Getting the start at shortstop and hitting ninth, Berti swiped his first bag of the year after a one-out single in the fifth inning. Last year's steals king has had a slow start to 2023 in that category, but with consistent playing time ahead of him while Joey Wendle (ribs) is sidelined, Berti could rack up a lot of stolen bases very quickly.

Arcia went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's loss to the Padres.

The shortstop was the only Atlanta player to cross the plate in a 10-2 defeat. Arcia's had an outstanding start to the season, batting .316 (12-for-38) through 10 games with two homers, four RBI and nine runs despite hitting at the bottom of the order.

Double-A Richmond placed Luciano (back) on its 7-day injured list Thursday.

He suffered a stress fracture in his lower back playing in the Dominican Winter League, and while he was able to field grounders and take batting practice this spring, Luciano isn't ready for game action. According to Jim Callis of MLB.com, Luciano is being held back in extended spring training while he finishes his recovery.

Cruz underwent surgery Sunday after suffering a fractured left ankle in the Pirates' 1-0 win over the White Sox and is expected to be sidelined for 10-to-12 weeks, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

The Pirates haven't confirmed the timeline provided by Gorman, but the fact that Cruz required surgery to address the injury rather than going the rest-and-rehab route for treatment suggests he won't be on track to meet the short end of a timetable to return from a fractured ankle, which can be as few as six weeks. Expect Pittsburgh to place Cruz on the injured list ahead of Monday's series opener versus the Astros, though he may not go on the 60-day IL until the Pirates need to open up another spot on the 40-man roster. Rodolfo Castro and Ji Hwan Bae are likely to get the first chance to serve as the Pirates' everyday middle infielders while Cruz is on the shelf, though Tucupita Marcano and/or Chris Owings could be called up from Triple-A Indianapolis and potentially make a push for playing time.