The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday and also reassigned left-hander Cam Alldred and right-hander Beau Sulser to minor league camp. Cruz was swinging the bat well in the Grapefruit League, but the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, will begin the 2022 season in the minors. The 23-year-old made it up to the big leagues for two games last year and has only played six games at Triple-A, so it wouldn't hurt for him to get a bit more seasoning on the farm. Barring an injury, Cruz should be back in the majors sooner than later and could see most of the playing time down the stretch over Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker.

Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz will soon play some outfield in camp, starting with left field. "The fact that PNC plays so big, you'll probably see him in left field first because of how athletic he is. But I think he's athletic enough that he can play any of the three," Shelton said. Cruz has been swinging it early in spring training, but he could still open the season at Triple-A. Outfield eligibility could make him even more intriguing, but the 23-year-old is still likely to see most of his playing time at the 6. Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker could begin the season splitting time for the Pirates at shortstop, but Cruz is easily the most attractive fantasy player of the trio in redraft leagues in 2022.