Pirates' Oneil Cruz out for 4 Months After Surgery on Fractured Ankle Injury

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz will miss four months after undergoing surgery on a fractured left ankle suffered while sliding into home base during the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the Chicago White Sox.

The 24-year-old had tried to score from third on a soft ground ball and wound up crashing into White Sox catcher Seby Zavala. While Cruz was on the ground holding his knee, an altercation ensued that saw both benches clear and players run from the bullpen to engage in the fracas:

Despite the tension-filled exchange, no punches were thrown and there were no ejections after the benches cleared. Pirates designated hitter Carlos Santana, who appeared to first take issue with Zavala's actions toward Cruz, had the first at-bat after the incident and grounded into a fielder's choice.

Cruz had initially reached base on a walk but then used his blinding speed to go from first to third on a single by Bryan Reynolds. The youngster once again tried to utilize his quickness to get to home plate on the grounder by Ke'Bryan Hayes, but he might've been a little over-zealous while trying to extend Pittsburgh's 1-0 lead.

One of the top young prospects in the majors, Cruz made the Opening Day roster after appearing in 87 games last season and hitting .233/.294/.450 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI. He got off to a solid start this year, entering Sunday's game with a slash line of .267/.378/.400 with one homer and four RBI.