Oneil Cruz Injury: Could be activated Monday

General manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Cruz (concussion) is expected to rejoin the Pirates in St. Louis and could be activated prior to Monday's series opener versus the Cardinals, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Cruz was cleared to begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Double-A Altoona and made starts in center field and at designated hitter to close out the weekend, going 1-for-6 with one triple, two walks, one stolen base, two RBI and two runs between those contests. Assuming the Pirates' medical staff is satisfied with his health once he links back up with the team, Cruz could be cleared to re-enter the big-league lineup Monday while the Cardinals send righty Michael McGreevy to the hill. The Pirates may still look to shield the left-handed-hitting Cruz against southpaws, however; the 26-year-old is slashing an abysmal .110/.219/.190 with a 36.8 percent strikeout rate in 114 plate appearances versus same-handed pitching this season.