Oneil Cruz

Oneil Cruz went 2-for-5 with an RBI double, a run scored, and two stolen bases as the Pirates suffered an 8-7, 10-inning loss to the Nationals on Thursday.

Fantasy Impact

Cruz was 0-for-9 with five strikeouts in the first two games of the series against Washington before collecting two hits in five trips to the plate on Thursday. He is now 9-for-10 in stolen bases this season and now has sole possession of the major league lead in that department. Cruz has been sensational at the plate and is currently hitting .316 (24-for-76) with five home runs and 17 RBI in 19 games. He's already well on his way to a third consecutive 20-20 season.

Oneil Cruz went 0-for-5 on Tuesday and saw his hitting streak come to an end at 12 games as the Pirates suffered a 5-4 loss to the Nationals.

Fantasy Impact

Cruz struck out three times for the third time this season - second in the last three games. It was his first hitless game since March 30 against Cincinnati and it was just his third such game of the year. Cruz is still hitting .328 with a .997 OPS through 17 games and will look to get back on track against Jake Irvin and the Nationals on Wednesday.

Oneil Cruz went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two walks, three runs batted in, and a stolen base to lead the Pirates to a 16-5 victory over Washington on Monday.

Fantasy Impact

Cruz remained one of the hottest hitters in the game as he recorded two more hits on Monday and swiped his seventh base of the season. Cruz is now tied for the National League lead with his seven stolen bases and is also third in the NL in batting average (.355), tied for third in runs scored (14), third in hits (22), tied for fourth in home runs (5), and tied for fourth in runs batted in (16). Cruz is hitting .386 (17-for-44) with a ridiculous 1.130 OPS during the month of April.

Oneil Cruz extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a home run to lead off Sunday's contest and finished the day 1-for-4 in the Pirates' 7-6 loss to the Cubs.

Fantasy Impact

It took Cruz three pitches to extend his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games on Sunday as he hammered a 422-foot home run off of Cubs' starter, Jameson Taillon, to lead off the ball game. He would later add his sixth stolen base of the season after drawing a walk in the top of the ninth. The only issue was that Cruz struck out three times on Sunday and has now struck out 20 times in 59 at bats this season. But, he's one of the hottest hitters in baseball and is currently batting .337 (20-for-59) with five home runs, 13 runs batted in, and six stolen bases.

Oneil Cruz continued his torrid start to the season by going 4-for-5 with a walk, a run scored, and three stolen bases as the Pirates defeated the Cubs, 4-3, in 11 innings on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact

Cruz reached base five times on Saturday, posting three singles, a double, and a walk while stealing a career-high three bases. He became the first Pirate to record four hits and three stolen bases in a game since Matt Lawton against the Marlins on July 26, 2005. Since starting the season 2-for-14 in his first four games, Cruz is on a 10-game hitting streak and has gone 17-for-41 (.415) with four home runs during the stretch. He's been one of the top players in fantasy early in the season, and he should be rostered in every league at this point.