Two of the Pirates’ best prospects are going from Altoona to Pittsburgh this week, but it will be for the wrong reason.
Shortstop Oneil Cruz and right-hander Roansy Contreras, two top-100 prospects who are with the Pirates’ Class AA affiliate, will be checked out medically after experiencing discomfort in their forearm area this week. Ben Cherington said both were "a little bit sore right now."
Cruz’s discomfort came on a throw while playing shortstop. Contreras’ discomfort stemmed from his most recent start on June 30. Cherington said the club is hopeful and feels that neither case is a “big deal.”
“Both we think, hopefully -- knock on wood -- we caught early and got ahead of it,” Cherington said Sunday on his radio show on 93.7 The Fan. “We’re going to learn more about it this week, and hopefully they’re back before not too long.”
Needless to say, losing either for an extended period would be an enormous blow to the farm system, especially since both are already on the 40-man roster, putting them in a potential position to earn a September callup.
Contreras, 21, has recorded a 2.35 ERA over 46 innings with 65 strikeouts for the Curve this year. One of four players the Pirates got back from the Yankees in the Jameson Taillon trade, Contreras has seen his stock take the biggest spike this year. He was recently named Baseball America’s 99th ranked prospect in the publication’s most recent update, and he was selected this week to represent the All-Star Futures Game.
Cruz, 22, is one of the Pirates’ top hitting prospects and is ranked 38th overall by Baseball America. He is slashing .289/.349/.538 with nine home runs over 190 plate appearances this year. He has not appeared in a game since June 30.
MORE FROM THE GM
• Cherington expects John Nogowski, the first baseman the Pirates acquired from the Cardinals for cash considerations Saturday, will join the team Monday.
"He's a guy who makes really good swing decisions," Cherington said. "We'll get him in the mix."
• With the draft now just a week away, Cherington reiterated yet again that the Pirates will spend their entire draft bonus pool. This year they have the largest pool at $14,394,000, and the club can spend an additional 5% on top of that without being penalized.
While most of the discussion is on who the Pirates will take 1.1, Cherington has emphasized that the club needs a strong draft of 21 players, and complimented his scouting team for the work they'll be leaning on in the later rounds.
"When you start getting past the first 60-80 players on the board, there's no way I can possible know about those players," he joked.