Oneil Cruz looks completely different in 2026 as he looks to resurrect Pirates career
NY Post
Not only did Oneil Cruz arrive at spring training seemingly in — cue the spring training cliche — the best shape of his life, but he’s also sporting a new look in hope of rebounding from the worst year of his career.
The Pirates’ outfielder appears noticeably more muscular ahead of his sixth MLB season, while also swapping his signature dreadlocks for a shorter hairstyle.
Cruz went 1-for-3 with a single and a stolen base during a 6-2 loss to the Yankees on Monday.
“The season that I had last year, it was not my best season,” Cruz said during the offseason, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I went home and went right to work on the stuff that I was having trouble with last year and work on my body again. No time to relax. Just focus on what I need to do to get better.”
Cruz, 27, is preparing for a critical year after he performed like one of the worst hitters in the sport in 2025.
A career .233 hitter with a .734 OPS, he instead hit .200 with a .676 OPS across 135 games while striking out 174 times in 544 plate appearances (32 percent).
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