Pirates manager Don Kelly knows what it’s like to replace a star. Across his six years with the Tigers, Kelly took two-time American League MVP Miguel Cabrera’s place in the infield at times. “If I were a fan buying a ticket for a game, I would've been pissed that I was in there and not Miggy,” Kelly joked. Kelly’s club faces a similar predicament with star center fielder Oneil Cruz. The 6-foot-7 Cruz hit the injured list on June 8 with non-displaced fractures of the fourth and fifth metacarpal on his left hand. Before his injury, Cruz was on pace for 40 home runs and 60 stolen bases, which would’ve made him the second 40-60 player in MLB history after Ronald Acuña Jr. had 41 homers and 73 steals in 2023. In the three weeks since Cruz’s injury, Pittsburgh has replenished his production through multiple depth pieces. Jake Mangum has played nearly every day in center field, batting .328 since June 10. Tyler Callihan and Esmerlyn Valdez have added power in the corners. The duo combined for five RBIs to help the Pirates to a 9-4 win over the Reds on Sunday to avoid the sweep. “You can't go in there and try to replace Oneil,” Kelly said. “Other guys throughout the lineup have power, and certainly don't want them going up there just trying to hit homers because Oneil is not in there. I think we've done a good job of staying within ourselves, and have been doing well, really well offensively. And we've got some areas that we can grow, like we saw today.” View this post on Instagram
