Have you ever considered how an injured professional athlete feels when he’s not on the field contributing? It’s got to be extremely frustrating if that player is getting paid tens of millions for the season. Throw in the fact, it’s his first year with a new team and his team is struggling or merely falling short of expectations.

It may even be worse if your team is doing well without you. As we’ve been focusing a little more lately on the players that have spent a lifetime in the minors who finally get their chance. I’m not thinking about the Joey Votto’s of the world and the slightly better Reds. He’s made hundreds of millions and hasn’t positively contributed to the Reds for years.

Sticking with the 2023 Reds for a moment, I was thinking of the guy that was Elly De La Cruz became the star of the moment, Oneil Cruz of the Pirates. Cruz is the 6’7 shortstop from the Dominican Republic that has shown great promise since he made his MLB debut in October, 2021.

The 21-year-old De La Cruz is also from the Dominican Republic and has made an immediate impact on the Reds and MLB. He’s been a part of the Reds (current) resurgence. It’s a pretty cool way to begin your career.

While the Reds story is nice, the Pirates are the bigger surprise. A check of the NL Central will find that the Pirates have been at the top of the division for most of the season. Unfortunately, Cruz hasn’t been able to contribute as much as he’s been on the 60-day IL for most of the season. He injured himself in a freak play at the plate against the White Sox. According to an MLB story, he’s been a presence in the Pirates dugout and watches every game, but that’s not the same as contributing on the field to a team’s success.

Hopefully Oneil Cruz will return to the field sooner than later. He’s an exciting young player and the Pirates and fans of the game will be better off when he returns.