Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-2, 237 lbs |
| Birthplace: Bayamon, Puerto Rico |
| Age: 36 |
| Experience: 4 |
| Bats/Throws: R, R |
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0:57MLB Futures: NL 1st Round Bye
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1:18MLB Futures: AL 1st Round Bye
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1:26Breaking: Tommy John, Namesake of Revolutionary Surgery, Dies at 83
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1:45Dodgers Drop to No. 5 in Snyder's Power Rankings
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9:06Breaking Down Matt Snyder's MLB Playoff Predictions
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1:41Yankees Call Up Top Prospect George Lombard Jr.
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0:24Yankees promoting No. 1 prospect George Lombard Jr.
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2026 Pitching
| STATS |
W
Wins
|
L
Losses
|
ERA
Earned Run Average
|
SO
Strikeouts
|
BB
Base on Balls (Walk)
|
WHIP
Walks and Hits Allowed Per Inning
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 4 | 6 | 2.81 | 63 | 31 | 1.32 |
Top Fernando Cruz News
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Collects second save of 2026
Cruz earned the save in Monday's 8-5 win over the Pirates, striking out three batters across 1.1 scoreless frames.
David Bednar tossed 32 pitches during the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, so he wasn't available for Monday's contest. Cruz was brought out in the eighth inning and proceeded to strike out three of the four batters he faced en route to his second save of the season, matching a career high he set last year. Cruz has a 2.32 ERA. 1.24 WHIP and 55:24 K:BB across 42.2 innings.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Homerless stretch comes to end
Cruz was charged with a blown save in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, as he gave up one run on one hit and two walks while recording his only out via strikeout.
Cruz entered in the eighth inning with New York clinging to a one-run lead. He made a mess of things, giving up a game-tying leadoff homer to Tommy Edman before issuing a pair of one-out walks. David Bednar entered for the Yankees following the second of those free passes and was able to extinguish the fire without allowing Los Angeles to cash in either walk. Though he struggled Sunday, Cruz has been quite reliable this year, posting a 2.40 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 52:24 K:BB over 41.1 innings spanning 46 appearances while notching four wins, one save and a team-leading 16 holds. Prior to Edman's long ball, Cruz had gone 34 appearances (covering 32.2 frames) without serving up a homer, compiling a 1.65 ERA and 1.10 WHIP during that span.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Earns first save Tuesday
Cruz earned the save Tuesday against Cleveland, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and a walk as New York held on for a 3-2 win.
With David Bednar having worked the previous two nights, Cruz was summoned in the eighth inning with one out and two runners aboard after Jake Bird ran into trouble -- Cruz immediately extinguished the threat by retiring the next two hitters. The right-hander returned for the ninth, and after issuing a leadoff walk, settled in by striking out the next three batters to secure the win. The outing was a reflection of the season Cruz has put together, as he has now held opponents scoreless in 13 of his last 14 appearances and sports a 1.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 37:15 K:BB across 29.1 innings. Cruz has earned additional save chances whenever Bednar is unavailable.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Nabs 11th hold
Cruz earned a hold against Cleveland on Thursday with a perfect inning of work.
Cruz was summoned in the eighth inning to protect a one-run lead and retired the side in order on 10 pitches. The right-hander is in the midst of a 19-outing stretch during which he's given up just two earned runs while posting a 20:7 K:BB over 18.2 innings. He leads the Yankees with 11 holds on the campaign while registering a 2.00 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB through 27 frames.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Second win of season
Cruz (2-0) earned the win over the Astros on Saturday after not allowing a run over two-thirds of an inning, walking one and striking out two.
Cruz recorded the final two outs of the sixth inning. Even though he walked Jose Altuve as soon as he entered the game, he bounced back by striking out Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz. Cruz had given up at least one run in his previous two relief appearances, so this was a nice bounce-back performance for the right-hander. Still, given his recent inconsistencies and the role he's filling in the bullpen right now, his fantasy upside is limited.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Nabs win in relief Tuesday
Cruz (1-0) earned the win over the Athletics on Tuesday, walking two batters and striking out one over 1.1 hitless and scoreless innings.
Cruz threw only 10 of 20 pitches for strikes and walked two batters in the eighth inning, but he fanned Max Muncy to get out of that frame unscathed. The righty reliever moved in line for the victory when New York struck for four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Cruz has been working in a setup role in front of closer David Bednar and has recorded three holds through six appearances. He's pitched 4.2 frames, allowing one run while posting a 7:4 K:BB.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Agrees to deal with Yanks
Cruz signed a one-year, $1.45 million contract with the Yankees to avoid arbitration Thursday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
Cruz spent the entire 2025 season with the Yankees and earned two saves with 16 holds across 49 regular-season appearances. He posted an even more impressive 72:24 K:BB, so he should be in line for a high-leverage role once again in 2026.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Reinstated from injured list
The Yankees activated Cruz (oblique) from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
Cruz wound up missing two months of action with a strained left oblique but is ready to go following a brief rehab assignment. It's a big boost to the Yankees' bullpen, as Cruz boasts a 3.00 ERA and elite 41.2 percent strikeout rate in 2025.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Set for Tuesday activation
Cruz (oblique) said that he will be activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said over the weekend that Cruz would be reinstated either Sunday or Monday, but the team now plans to wait and extra day before adding the reliever back to the 26-man active roster. Out since late June due to a left oblique strain, Cruz has posted a 3.00 ERA and 41.2 percent strikeout rate this season.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Return from IL imminent
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Cruz (oblique) will be activated off the injured list Sunday or Monday, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
Cruz has made four minor-league rehab appearances and is just about ready to return to the big club's bullpen. Though his first two rehab outings were rough, the right-hander has bounced back by allowing one run over 2.1 innings with a 5:1 K:BB over his past two appearances. Cruz should have a prominent place in the Yankees' bullpen upon his return, though the trade-deadline acquisitions of David Bednar and Camilo Doval could push him down the pecking order to some extent.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Could be activated next week
Cruz (oblique) is slated to make a four-out minor-league rehab appearance Friday, and if that goes well, he could be activated from the injured list as soon as Monday, per MLB.com.
Cruz landed on the injured list in late June due to a left oblique strain. The veteran reliever kicked off a minor-league rehab stint Aug. 14 and has appeared in three games so far (two with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and one with Double-A Somerset), allowing four runs on five hits with a 4:1 K:BB over 2.1 innings. Though those numbers are poor, Cruz's most recent outing was strong -- he struck out the side and gave up only one hit over one scoreless frame Tuesday. Once activated off the IL, Cruz should be a candidate for high-leverage work, though he may be eased back given his lengthy absence. He also may be lower on the depth chart than when he last pitched, as New York added David Bednar and Camilo Doval to the bullpen at the trade deadline.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Slated for three rehab appearances
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Cruz (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Thursday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Cruz has already reported to Somerset and got through a 19-pitch live batting practice session Sunday, clearing the way for him to begin a rehab assignment. He's expected to make three appearances in the minors before being activated from the 15-day injured list, potentially by the end of next week. Cruz has been out since late June with a strained oblique.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Will face hitters Sunday
Cruz (oblique) is scheduled to throw a live bullpen session with Double-A Somerset on Sunday, Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News reports.
Cruz has been on the injured list since June 30 due to a severe left oblique strain. He began throwing bullpen sessions in late July and has shown enough progress to advance to facing hitters. Since Cruz's absence has already lasted over a month, he'll likely need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before he's ready to rejoin the Yankees. Nonetheless, a return before the end of August is feasible.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Throwing bullpen session Friday
Cruz (oblique) is slated to throw a bullpen session Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
It will be the first time he's thrown off a mound since he went down with a left oblique strain in late June. Given the length of Cruz's absence, he's likely to require a few rehab appearances before rejoining the Yankees' bullpen. The 35-year-old boasts a 3.00 ERA and 41.2 percent strikeout rate this season.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Targeting August return
Cruz (oblique) could return sometime in August, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Updates have been few and far between since Cruz hit the IL on June 30 with a high-grade oblique strain. Per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, Cruz could start playing catch as soon as this weekend. Manager Aaron Boone said Friday that an August return is possible.
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