Pirates' Oneil Cruz gets taken out of game for baserunning blunder, admits he lost track of outs

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Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz has gone through a rough few games.

Cruz’s error and lackadaisical effort following a passed ball in center field raised eyebrows last week, and then, on Tuesday, he was removed from the game after he lost track of outs.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz, #15, runs to first after hitting a single in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on June 17, 2025. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

Pirates manager Don Kelly took Cruz out after he failed to run out a double-play grounder against the Milwaukee Brewers. He grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Kelly said Cruz was removed because of "energy and effort going down the line."

Cruz told reporters through an interpreter he understood the decision.

"DK had all the rights to do what he did, and I’ll back him up on that," Cruz said. "It was my fault because I thought there were two outs in that situation. That’s why I let off running to first base."

Kelly said he and Cruz spoke afterward, and he communicated his expectations.

Cruz suffered an outfield blunder against the Texas Rangers. He misjudged a ball and watched it roll to the fence in the first inning of that game.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly in the dugout in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park in Detroit on June 19, 2025. (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

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On top of everything else, Cruz is not hitting like the slugger he has been promised to be. He has batted .156 with 31 strikeouts this month. Overall,