Marcell Ozuna opens up about health status ahead of first season with Pirates

Spring training stories usually come in two flavors: “best shape of his life” fluff or “let’s not overreact to February” caveats. Marcell Ozuna’s early days in Pirates camp somehow feel like both — and also like something Pittsburgh hasn’t had in a while: a legit middle-of-the-order bat with the résumé and the personality to change the temperature of the room.

The headliner is simple: Ozuna says his hip is finally right again. After a 2024 season where he looked like an MVP-level wrecking ball (he finished fourth in NL MVP voting), last year was the kind of statistical drop that makes fans squint at the back of a baseball card. The OPS fell from .925 to .756. The home run total dipped from 39 down to 21 across 592 plate appearances after he’d hit 79 homers over the previous two seasons combined. 

Ozuna didn’t try to sugarcoat it. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Jason Mackey reported that Ozuna flat-out said his hip “was bad” last season and that he feels “100%” now. That matters, because even with the power drop, the plate discipline held up — a career-best 15.9% walk rate and a career-low 22.3% chase rate.

In other words, the approach was still there. The difference was in the damage: Ozuna swung less often, and the contact didn’t carry the same punch. If the hip was messing with rotation, stability, or even basic comfort in the box, the downturn tracks.

Pirates’ Marcell Ozuna is already changing camp in a way that matters

The Pirates are not paying Ozuna $12 million just to be a designated hitter who posts veteran quotes and smiles for cameras. They paid for damage and protection behind the franchise’s most talented — and sometimes most volatile — centerpiece.

Ozuna’s second job title this spring might as well be “Oneil Cruz’s older brother.” You can already feel the Pirates leaning into it. Ozuna isn’t just hanging around his locker; he’s pulling people in. The clubhouse vibe piece can be corny, but this part is real: Pittsburgh has been searching for a consistent heartbeat, especially across a roster that’s blended young players, different backgrounds, and a lot of pressure on a few stars to carry the identity.

Ozuna seems intent on making that togetherness unavoidable. His message to Cruz is basically the simplest reset in sports: enjoy the game, stop carrying every at-bat like it’s a verdict, and trust the work. Ozuna’s not subtle about what Cruz needs — someone he trusts, someone who can give tough love, someone who can keep him from drifting.

If that relationship sticks, the Pirates could get the best version of Cruz: the one that looks like a cheat code instead of a science experiment. And if Ozuna’s hip truly is back to 2024-level health, the Pirates might finally have what they’ve lacked for too long — a lineup presence that changes how opponents pitch, how the dugout feels, and how serious the whole season looks from day one.

It’s February. But it’s also not nothing.