Shortstop Oneil Cruz completed his preparation in the Parallel League and is ready to debut with the Tigres del Licey in the current Professional Baseball tournament in the Dominican Republic, dedicated to Don Tomás Troncoso Cuesta.
Cruz, 24, belongs to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in the Major Leagues. He made his debut with the big team on October 2, 2021, in the penultimate game of the season.
Prior to that, the Dominican had finished a strong minor league season, hitting a home run in five of his six games for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He previously played in Double-A with the Altoona Curve, after missing time with an elbow injury, finishing with a .310/.375/.594 offensive line, 16 doubles, 5 home runs and 17 RBIs.
The Dominican finished his 2022 season in the big tent, with 17 homers, 45 runs scored, 54 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 87 games.
The Nizao native was originally drafted by the Leones del Escogido in 2017 and came to the Tigers via trade on February 5, 2022, from the Toros del Este.
His debut with the blue team is scheduled for this Saturday, November 26, against the Águilas Cibaeñas at the Cibao Stadium, in the continuation of the 2022-23 championship of the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic.