Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz suffered a fractured left ankle during a collision at home plate with Chicago White Sox catcher Seby Zavala in Sunday afternoon's win (PIT 1, CWS 0), manager Derek Shelton announced (per The Athletic). Zavala appeared to say something to Cruz after the collision and Pirates first baseman Carlos Santana took exception, then the benches cleared.
Here is Cruz's awkward slide into home plate and the ensuing benches-clearing activity. He was eventually helped off the field and could not put any weight on his left leg. The Pirates have not announced a timetable for Cruz's recovery but it will likely be measured in months, not weeks.
There were no punches thrown after the benches cleared and no one was ejected. Santana batted with Zavala behind the plate without incident in the first at-bat after the benches cleared.
Cruz, 24, reached base on a walk and went first-to-third on a Bryan Reynolds single earlier in the inning. He entered Sunday's game with a .267/.378/.400 batting line and nearly as many walks (six) as strikeouts (eight). Cruz made the Opening Day roster for the first time this season after hitting .233/.294/.450 in 87 games a year ago.
Entering 2022, Cruz was a consensus top 25 prospect in baseball, and he is a foundational piece for a Pirates team that is looking to transition out of rebuilding and into contention in the near future.
Rodolfo Castro replaced Cruz at shortstop following the injury. Castro and Tucupita Marcano, who is currently in Triple-A, are the top candidates to take over at short full-time.
