The Reds selected Cruz's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.
Perhaps no September call-up has had a more interesting path to the big leagues than Cruz, who was drafted by the Royals as an infielder in 2007. He transitioned to a full-time pitching role in 2011 and bounced around between affiliated ball, the independent ranks and foreign leagues over the last decade before finally getting his first promotion to the majors at 32 years old. The right-hander will likely be ticketed for a low-leverage role out of the Cincinnati bullpen after compiling a 2.89 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 66:19 K:BB in 56 innings at Louisville.