Pirates option prospects Will Craig and Oneil Cruz to Triple-A, reassign 3 others

Two of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospects were optioned to Triple-A on Monday, and three others were reassigned to the organization’s minor league camp.

Shortstop Oneil Cruz and corner infielder Will Craig were optioned to Indianapolis. The Pirates’ No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, the 6-foot-7 Cruz slashed .217/.250/.435 in 15 Grapefruit League games but, at 21 years old, was never a serious candidate for the Opening Day roster.

Oneil Cruz, a 21-year-old Pirates prospect, reported to Pirate City for his first major-league spring training and answered (through interpreter Mike Gonzalez) the million-dollar question about being a 6-foot-7 shortstop: pic.twitter.com/iIl860WkSn

— Kevin Gorman (@KGorman_Trib) February 14, 2020

Craig, a 25-year-old taken in the first round of the 2016 draft, slashed .182/.296/.409 this spring. Blocked at first base by Josh Bell he has been learning other corner positions over the past year.

“Last year, playing right field three or four days in a row, at last year’s weight it kind of wore me down,” Will Craig said. #Pirates #PiratesFesthttps://t.co/X4flvMDggL

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 25, 2020

Reassigned Monday were catchers Jason Delay and Arden Pabst and righthander Blake Weiman. An eighth-round pick in 2017, the 6-foot-4 Weiman advanced to Triple-A last season. He pitched 3 1/3 innings this spring.

Delay and Pabst were among the many catchers the Pirates had as depth options at a position that was and is in need of fortifying. Delay, the fourth-round pick in 2017, had one hit and two walks in nine plate appearances in Grapefruit League play. He was at Double-A Altoona last season along with Pabst, a 2-16 fourth-round pick who was 1 for 10 this spring.

The moves, which came hours after others for the Pirates, leave the team with 48 players in their MLB camp.

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