Oneil Cruz rehab assignment isn't easing the Pirates' biggest concern

The Pittsburgh Pirates desperately need Oneil Cruz back in their lineup. That doesn’t necessarily mean they should be in a hurry to get him there.

Cruz continued his rehab assignment Tuesday with Double-A Altoona, playing eight innings in center field and going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. He also appeared to lose a fly ball in the lights that dropped for a single.

None of that is catastrophic in isolation. Rehab assignments exist for a reason, and expecting a player who has missed more than nine weeks with fractures in his left hand to immediately look like himself would be unrealistic.

Still, there hasn’t been much about Cruz’s rehab stint that should have Pirates fans clamoring for his immediate activation.

Through three games between Triple-A Indianapolis and Altoona, Cruz is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts and three walks. He hasn’t recorded a hit. He’s striking out in more than half of his official at-bats. And now there's at least one defensive miscue in center field, even if losing a ball in the sky can happen to anybody.

Now the Pirates’ biggest concern with Cruz is no longer whether his hand has healed. It’s whether he is actually ready to help a team whose offense has completely disappeared.

Pirates' sputtering offense doesn't excuse rushing Oneil Cruz back from rehab assignment before he's ready

Pittsburgh has lost 14 of its last 19 games while averaging just 3.11 runs during that stretch. Entering Wednesday, the Pirates sit six games out of the final National League wild card spot. Their season is slipping away quickly enough that Cruz’s return naturally feels like a potential lifeline. But the version of Cruz currently working his way through the minors doesn’t look like one yet.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Cruz won’t find his timing quickly. He has been away from major-league pitching for more than two months, and simply seeing velocity and getting comfortable swinging again is part of the process. The three walks are at least evidence that his strike-zone recognition hasn’t completely disappeared.

Still, the Pirates can’t activate Cruz simply because their lineup needs him. They need prime Oneil Cruz, not merely a body occupying his spot in center field.

If another rehab game or two is necessary for Cruz to get his timing back, Pittsburgh should give him that opportunity. Rushing him because the major-league offense is desperate won’t solve anything if Cruz returns striking out at the same rate and still trying to rediscover his feel defensively.

The Pirates desperately need a spark. So far, Cruz’s rehab assignment hasn’t provided much evidence that he’s ready to be one.

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