PITTSBURGH: He’s here.
“Now is the time for us to think [Cruz] can help us,” Shelton said. “We talked about a lot of things in terms of development. There are still things we will continue to work on, but we think now is the time when he will help us.”
It was speculated that Cruz would be called up sometime during that homestand, but the flames only fanned further when he was left out of Triple-A Indianapolis’ lineup for Sunday’s game. When asked about Cruz’s omission on his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan, general manager Ben Cherington said with a laugh, “Boys get days off from time to time.”
For many in Pittsburgh, this moment couldn’t come soon enough.
Fans expressed their almost universal frustration when Cruz was dropped from the opening day roster. The 23-year-old stormed through the Minors last season and was rewarded with his first Major League call-up, where he teased the talent that made him an intriguing prospect. In his brief spring practice that year, he hit two home runs that showed his raw, impressive power.
Cruz started slowly with Triple-A Indianapolis. In April, he hit just .176 with a home run. Since then, Cruz has pared .265/.367/.500 with eight homers and 130 wRC+, not counting his lone performance on Sunday while producing exit speeds only a handful of people can match. Cruz has made a few cameos in left field, but Shelton confirmed that Cruz will primarily play shortstop with the Pirates.
Someone far more familiar with the outfield is Madris, who has been on an absolute rift in recent weeks. Like Cruz, Madris started slow, only reaching 0.200 in April. Madris started to heat up in May, but when the calendar switched to June, it rose to another level. In 16 games this month, Madris has cut .400/.463/.683 with two home runs and nine doubles. Now he and Cruz are going to Pittsburgh.
“He did a lot of things well,” Shelton said. “If you look back, even after spring training if we had been somewhere else, maybe he would have made our club back then. He’s been really good the last month.
“He can play both corners in the outfield. He has continued to do many things well and this is when he deserves to be called up. I think it’s a highlight of where he’s been in spring training and what he’s been doing over the past three weeks.
Cruz and Madris’ arrival comes at a time when the team, and offense in particular, could use a spark. Despite Suwinski’s heroics on Sunday, the Pirates have lost 11 of their last 13 games. Arguably the most dynamic power-speed threat of any current prospect, Cruz can certainly help fuel a lethargic offense.
Calling up Cruz was always a matter of when, not if. There was too much talent, too much potential for him to spend an entire season in Triple-A. On Sunday, the question of his arrival date was finally answered. Next Monday he will be at PNC Park, donning black and gold. Cruz is here. He will have his catwalk. It’s finally time to see what he has in his bag of tricks.