Oneil Cruz return provides final Pirates hope for playoff berth on life support

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent much of the second half watching their playoff hopes slowly slip away. If there is going to be one final attempt to rescue their season, Oneil Cruz will have to be at the center of it.

Cruz was activated from the 60-day injured list Monday after missing more than two months with non-displaced fractures in the fourth and fifth metacarpals of his left hand. The Pirates optioned Ronny Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis to clear an active roster spot, while another move will be necessary to get Cruz back onto the 40-man roster.

Cruz won't be in Pittsburgh's starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers, but return could hardly be more important. The Pirates went 27-32 while Cruz was sidelined, a stretch that helped turn what once looked like a legitimate playoff chase into one now firmly on life support.

Pittsburgh has already lost Ryan O'Hearn for an extended period and watched other pieces of its lineup struggle with injuries or inconsistency. Now Cruz represents perhaps the most significant offensive reinforcement the Pirates can realistically receive while playoffs are still a possibility (albeit a distant one).

Before getting hurt, Cruz was hitting .264 with an .822 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 45 runs scored and 21 stolen bases in 64 games. The question now is how quickly Cruz can become that player again.

Oneil Cruz activated off IL, but it might be too late to help Pirates playoff push

Cruz's rehab results certainly weren't overwhelming. He went just 3-for-22 with seven strikeouts across six Minor League games between Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona. Considering he hadn't played in the majors since June 7 — and hadn't started since suffering the injury a day earlier — expecting him to immediately carry the offense would be unreasonable.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, reasonable expectations aren't especially useful right now. Cruz doesn't have weeks to gradually find his timing while Pittsburgh waits around. Every loss makes an already unlikely postseason run even more difficult. The Pirates need their most dangerous hitter producing almost immediately if they want to create any reason to believe this season can still be salvaged.

There was also good news for the pitching staff Monday, with Yohan Ramirez returning from the paternity list and Hunter Barco being optioned. Ramirez has been tremendous lately, posting a 0.28 ERA with 40 strikeouts across 32 2/3 innings over his last 22 appearances.

But bullpen help alone isn't saving this season. The Pirates need offense. They need star-level production. And, more than anything, they need a spark capable of changing the direction of a team running out of time. If even Cruz can't provide it, Pittsburgh might officially be out of answers.

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