Oneil Cruz’s lost 2026 season could haunt the Pirates for years

Oneil Cruz provided the Pittsburgh Pirates with another glimpse Tuesday night of the season they should have gotten to watch for six months.

In a scoreless game against the San Diego Padres, Cruz stepped to the plate in the ninth inning against Mason Miller — one of baseball’s most dominant relievers — and launched the first home run Miller had allowed in more than a calendar year. Pittsburgh won 1-0. Cruz supplied the only offense necessary.

It was the kind of moment that makes his 2026 season feel less disappointing and more painful. Because if Cruz had stayed healthy, there is a very real chance we would be talking about one of the most spectacular individual seasons in Pirates history.

Even after missing significant time with fractures in his left hand, Cruz is batting .257 with an .833 OPS, 17 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 52 RBI in just 72 games. His home run Tuesday was his third in seven games since returning from the injured list.

Stretch what he has done over anything close to a full season, and the possibilities become absurd. Thirty-plus home runs? Easily within reach. Forty or even 50 stolen bases? Entirely plausible. Somewhere around 100 RBI with a healthier lineup around him? Not difficult to envision.

A 30-homer, 40-steal season would have been special enough. A run at 35 homers and 50 steals would have placed Cruz in territory rarely seen from anyone, much less a Pirates player.

Instead, Pittsburgh is left wondering. And that's where this season could hurt for much longer than 2026.

Oneil Cruz's 2026 season might go down as one of the biggest what-ifs in Pirates history

The Pirates entered the year desperately needing their young core to take a significant step forward. Cruz did exactly that. The problem was that one of their most dangerous players wasn't available long enough for Pittsburgh to fully capitalize.

While he was gone, the lineup spent stretches searching for exactly the kind of game-changing power and athleticism Cruz provides. Those lost games can't be recovered now, especially with the Pirates spending most of August trying to climb back into a playoff race that may already have gotten away from them.

That doesn't mean Cruz's injury alone ruined Pittsburgh's season. Far from it. Good teams survive injuries, and the Pirates' inability to consistently generate offense without him exposed broader problems with the roster. But Cruz himself may someday make 2026 look particularly cruel.

He is already only five homers shy of setting a new career high despite playing barely half a season. At 27 years old, these are supposed to be the seasons when everything comes together — health, experience, athleticism and production. For Cruz, it finally appeared to be happening. The Pirates just didn't get enough of it.

Years from now, when fans look back at Cruz's career numbers, 2026 may be the season that immediately inspires the same question:

What would he have done if he had simply gotten 150 games?

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