WATCH: Pirates’ Oneil Cruz Talks Changing Positions

PITTSBURGH — The big news surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates is now 24 hours old. On Monday, manager Derek Shelton revealed that Oneil Cruz will be switching positions from shortstop to center field.

In his first full season in the big leagues, Cruz struggled defensively at short, prompting the Pirates to take action and let the 25-year-old showcase his athleticism in the outfield in hopes of better results.

At the time of the move, Cruz was second in baseball regardless of position with 24 errors. Of his 24 errors this season, 12 have come over his last 28 games played. He also had minus-eight defensive runs saved at shortstop and a .939 fielding percentage.

The decision, though surprising because of the timing and the nature of how it was revealed, wasn’t unexpected by any stretch of the imagination.

While there is going to be a steep learning curve while trying to learn a brand-new position on the fly, Cruz certainly has tools that will play out in center field. He is amongst the fastest runners in the game and has a cannon for an arm.

Despite his struggles in the field, Cruz has had a productive season at the plate. In 118 games, he is slashing a respectable .265/.323/.466 with 29 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs and 63 RBIs. His elite speed has also been on display with 17 stolen bases in 18 attempts.

Cruz met with members of the media in the Pirates’ clubhouse prior to Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. Pirates’ coach Stephen Morales translated for Cruz during the media scrum.