Oneil Cruz's Pirates rehab delay gets frustrating explanation from Ben Cherington

The good news is that Oneil Cruz's fractured left hand is healed. The frustrating news is that apparently doesn't mean he's ready to play.

Cruz was back at PNC Park on Sunday for another evaluation as the Pittsburgh Pirates try to determine what comes next in a rehab process that has become increasingly difficult to pin down. General manager Ben Cherington confirmed that the non-displaced fractures in Cruz's fourth and fifth metacarpals have fully healed, but residual discomfort remains — particularly when he makes contact at the plate.

“It’s possible, for any player who had [this injury], it might not feel 100% even until the offseason,” Cherington told Pirates insider Jason Mackey Sunday on his team-produced radio show.

That's hardly an encouraging update for a Pirates team that has gone more than two months without Cruz.

Cruz has been sidelined since June 7, when he suffered the fractures in his left hand. By late July, the Pirates said the bones had healed and Cruz had been cleared for baseball activities. He finally began a rehab assignment earlier this month, appearing twice for Triple-A Indianapolis before moving to Double-A Altoona for his third game on Aug. 11. But rather than progressing toward an obvious return date, Cruz's rehab has stalled again.

Cherington explained that the issue is less about structural healing and more about whether Cruz can tolerate the discomfort created by his violent swing. That's understandable medically, but it also explains why the Pirates have been so vague about Cruz's timeline. There seemingly isn't another checkpoint to clear on a scan, so the team has to listen to Cruz and determine when he feels capable of swinging normally despite whatever discomfort remains.

Oneil Cruz is back in Pittsburgh, but his return timeline remains maddeningly unclear

Cherington still expressed confidence that Cruz will return to Major League games soon, and Cruz remaining with the club for this week's Detroit Tigers series appears possible. But whenever he does return, the Pirates will suddenly have another question to answer.

Jake Mangum has made himself awfully difficult to remove from the lineup. Since Cruz went down, Mangum has hit .322 with 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 22 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and an .811 OPS over 63 games.

Mangum has been significantly better with regular playing time than he was as a sporadically used fourth outfielder. The Pirates need to keep his bat in the lineup and can't simply send him back to the bench because Cruz is healthy.

First, though, Cruz actually has to get there. His fractures may be healed, but Sunday's update made clear why his return has taken much longer than anyone hoped.

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