The Pittsburgh Pirates are giving fans their first glimpse of the team’s top prospect by promoting 6-foot-7 shortstop Oneil Cruz on Saturday for the final two games of the season at PNC Park, a source confirmed to the Tribune-Review.

The news was first reported by Dominican baseball insider Hector Gomez.

This season (AA / AAA):

BA .310, 17 HR, 47 RBIS, 16 2B, 5 3B, 19 SB, 62 R, 84 H, 161 TB, OBP .375, SLG .594, OPS .970.@z101digital @ZDeportes pic.twitter.com/ggRKy5i5Cu

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) October 2, 2021

Cruz, who turns 23 on Monday, is rated the Pirates’ No. 1 prospect and No. 19 in the minors by Baseball America, though he ranks No. 3 on the Pirates and No. 52 overall by MLB Pipeline.

Manager Derek Shelton said Saturday afternoon that the Pirates decided to promote Cruz after Friday’s 9-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

“We talked to him in spring training and gave him some challenges and held him accountable to some things,” Shelton said. “I think when we talk about accountability, it runs both ways. He was very accountable when he was in Altoona and when he went to Indianapolis. So if you want to call it a little bit of a reward for that, I would say that’s fair.”

Cruz has been crushing the ball since arriving at Triple-A Indianapolis on Sept. 20, batting .524 (11 for 21) with a double, five home runs and seven RBIs in six games. One homer was measured at 423 feet. Even so, Shelton said that had nothing to do with the decision to promote Cruz to the majors.

“No, the decision was made by us providing challenges to him and him coming through with those challenges,” Shelton said. “The statistical things are nice. If you saw any of the at bats, they were really good. It was more about taking accountability, and we take that very important and we hold that to a high standard. We felt that he was accountable.”

He has hit a home run in five of them. ???? pic.twitter.com/Wrru0K7I3U

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) October 1, 2021

He batted .292/.346/.536 with 15 doubles, five triples, 12 homers and 40 RBIs in 62 games at Double-A Altoona. His season was interrupted when he missed six weeks with a right forearm strain.

That prevented the Pirates from promoting Cruz earlier. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in June that the club was “very encouraged” by Cruz’s progress. They had planned to give him a look at other positions, even though Cruz made his preference clear.

“I still see myself as a shortstop,” Cruz said. “No one is going to move me out of there.”

The Pirates wanted to see how Cruz would fare in the outfield, especially with an opening in right field since releasing Gregory Polanco in late August. The Pirates played Cruz in center field for a few innings in a Grapefruit League game against the Atlanta Braves in spring training.

“We do want to see him continue to play shortstop, for sure,” Cherington said in June. “That’s going to continue to be a part of it. The infield will remain a part of it for sure. I would expect the outfield will come into play. When guys get to the upper levels, then, part of moving around the field is just an obligation to help them be prepared for the major leagues. I think we almost owe it to players to give them a chance to do it so that they kind of have those tools in their belt, so to speak, in case that comes up.”

Cruz’s promotion comes just over a year after he was involved in an accident that killed three people on Sept. 21, 2020, in his native Dominican Republic. He was arrested after his SUV collided with a motorcycle carrying two men and a woman on a highway on the Baní-San Cristóbal section of the Sánchez highway in the Dominican.

Cruz was released on $34,000 bail, and the Pirates supported him throughout the ordeal. Cherington disputed reports that alcohol was involved. The motorcycle didn’t have headlights or tail lights.

“It’s a tragic accident and our hearts go out to the victims — and ‘accident’ is the word to emphasize,” Cherington said. “There is no indication or any piece of evidence that we’ve seen that suggests it’s anything but an accident. Oneil is a young player and a young person now that has been through something very traumatic, and we’re going to continue to work with him, support him through it.”

In March, Cruz discussed his worries that the accident would prevent him from his dream of reaching the majors.

“In the beginning, I was very fearful of not being able to continue to play the game that I love and to reach the dream I’ve always had, which is to reach the big leagues,” Cruz said through team translator Mike Gonzalez. “However, when things became clear later and everything was solved, I was able to reach that hope again that I’ll be able to play.

“Now, I have peace.”

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