If all goes well, Oneil Cruz will be rejoining the Pittsburgh Pirates after the trade deadline.
Cruz underwent surgery last night, and the Pirates anticipate his return in four months.
The team he left saw him leading off in front of Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen, and Carlos Santana. Perhaps all three will still be there in August. Perhaps they’ll be joined by a trade acquisition, rather than watching that trio deplete at the deadline. Perhaps the Pirates will still have a winning record by that point.
In order for that last “perhaps” to take place, the Pirates will need to figure out how to replace Oneil Cruz.