Pirates GM provides updates on returns of Oneil Cruz, Endy Rodriguez, Jared Jones

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz, who was injured in an outfield collision Tuesday at Milwaukee, is getting “better every day” but “not quite ready” to come off the seven-day concussion injured list.

General manager Ben Cherington addressed Cruz’s recovery from the concussion Sunday afternoon on his weekly radio show. Per a SportsNet Pittsburgh report, Cruz is doing on-field plyometrics work and has taken swings in the batting cage but Cherington said he is not ready to return.

“We’re seeing him showing ready to do more activities,” Cherington said on team flagship 93.7 FM. “He’s not quite ready to go through the protocol testing that every player needs to go through to come off the concussion IL. He’s not quite ready for that, but he is making progress. We’re certainly hoping this is a matter of days. But it is a concussion, so we’ll literally take it a day at a time.”

While attempting to make a diving catch on a Joey Ortiz double, Cruz’s head collided with the knee of left fielder Jack Suwinski in the fourth inning of a 14-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. Cruz later was removed from the game with a head injury.

Cherington said the Pirates are extra careful when it comes to concussions and remain in constant communication with MLB officials, who have oversight of the process.

“Once the player is in the concussion protocol, you’re testing every day,” Cherington said. “We have a self-report mechanism that guys like Oneil are communicating with us when they wake up in the morning, grading how they feel that day relative to yesterday. They’ll do that again when they get to the park, as the self-report slowly improves, we start to introduce activities … then it reaches a threshold when they’re starting to feel ready for baseball work. … In Oneil’s case, he will not be out there active until we’re very confident he’s checked off every box as part of that process and the league has signed off.”

Cherington said that the long-term prognosis is “very good” for Endy Rodriguez, who underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery last week, to return as a catcher next season.

Cherington noted that it is the third injury to Rodriguez’s right elbow. He missed the majority of the 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, then had a stress reaction that he termed a “bony injury.”

“None of them would be a reason a player would not come back and catch,” Cherington said. “We believe that the prognosis for him to come back and catch long term again is pretty good. That said, he’s had three distinct elbow injuries the past three years. I think we have to be aware of that, that something is going on that led to those injuries. We need to figure out how to help him, and he needs to do the work necessary to not have those things happen again at a position that will require a lot of throwing.”

Rodriguez also has played first base, second base and in the outfield in his career, so Cherington said the Pirates would “continue to assess.”

“We know Endy can do other things on the field,” Cherington said. “We know that’s sort of a side door on the field, if we need to. If it makes sense for him and the Pirates, we can always open that side door. We still believe that if he can catch — and we believe that he can catch — that that’s the position that brings the most total value for him and to the team. We’ll continue to be open-minded about that. If there’s a reason to change our minds, then we will. For now, I would expect him to come to spring training as a catcher.”

Cherington also expects right-hander Jared Jones, who is recovering from an InternalBrace procedure on his right elbow, to return to the starting rotation next season. Jones, now 24, was 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 121²⁄₃ innings over 22 starts as a rookie in 2024.

“The north star, if you will, is starting pitcher,” Cherington said. “He’s clearly shown he’s capable of doing that at a very high level in the major leagues. We need that. That’s the biggest value to the Pirates, so that’s the star we’re chasing and there’s no reason not to chase it.”

Cherington emphasized that Jones underwent a serious surgery, even though he avoided reconstruction of the UCL. Jones is expected to start a throwing program this fall, which Cherington called “an exciting milestone” but warned that there’s no timetable on his return.

“There’s a process to it,” Cherington said. “Working towards him being a starting pitcher does not mean he’s at 110 pitches in April 2026. There could be steps towards that he could take that we feel are in his best interest or the team’s best interest. We have more to learn about that before we get into that level of planning. But the long-term goal is to have him return in a starting role.”