Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Expects to resume throwing this week
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Cruz (elbow) expects to resume a throwing program by the end of this week, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.
Cruz was diagnosed with a partial tear in his right elbow UCL in late August. It's an injury that sometimes requires surgery and often results in an extended absence, but Cruz is motivated to make it back before the regular season concludes. Being able to accomplish that feat, however, is not a given.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Diagnosed with partial UCL tear
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Cruz was diagnosed with a partial tear in his right UCL on Wednesday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Cruz will seek out a second opinion following his initial diagnosis, but manager Aaron Boone noted that Tommy John surgery is on the table. Even if the right-hander manages to avoid going under the knife, he would likely still miss the remainder of the regular season. Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn are likely candidates to see an uptick in setup opportunities while Cruz is out.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Sidelined by elbow soreness
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The Yankees placed Cruz on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right elbow soreness.
Cruz was tagged for a couple runs over one inning of relief in Tuesday's loss to the Astros, and to make matters worse, he came out of the appearance with elbow discomfort. The Yankees haven't provided word yet regarding how much time he might miss, but the loss of Cruz is a major blow to the bullpen ranks. Cruz holds a 3.13 ERA and 67:32 K:BB over 54.2 frames this season.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Collects second save of 2026
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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
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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: Nabs 11th hold
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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: Nabs win in relief Tuesday
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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
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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
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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
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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: Throwing bullpen session Friday
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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: Fans three, nabs win in relief
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Cruz (2-3) earned the win over Baltimore on Sunday, striking out all three batters he faced in a perfect inning of work.
Cruz came on in the eighth inning with the Orioles up 2-1, inheriting runners on first and second base with no outs. The right-hander put out the fire by striking out Ramon Laureano, Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins on 13 total pitches. Cruz has been a punchout machine since coming off the injured list June 3, racking up 15 strikeouts over 6.2 innings covering eight appearances. He's given up four runs in that span but overall still holds a solid 3.26 ERA as one of New York's top high-leverage options this season.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Expected back Tuesday
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Cruz (shoulder) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Cruz will skip a rehab assignment and go directly back into the Yankees bullpen after tossing an 18-pitch live batting practice session Saturday. He's missed the last two weeks with right shoulder inflammation. The Yankees plan to place Carlos Carrasco on outright waivers in a corresponding move.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Throws bullpen session
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Cruz (shoulder) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.
Cruz said afterward that his mound session went well, and he's expected to begin facing live hitters Saturday. Assuming he doesn't experience any setbacks over the next several days, he seems to be on track to return when eligible Tuesday.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: MRI comes back negative
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Cruz will play catch Thursday after an MRI on his right shoulder came back negative, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports.
Cruz felt a pull in his right trap area recently that has left him unavailable to pitch recently. He was given a cortisone shot to combat inflammation and the hope is that he will be able to avoid the injured list, but it's not clear when he might be available to pitch again.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Nursing shoulder injury
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Manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Cruz hasn't been available for the past few days due to a shoulder injury, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Boone didn't go into specifics about the injury, but he noted that imaging on the reliever's shoulder came back negative. With a 2.66 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP over 23.2 innings on the season, the 35-year-old righty has been a reliable high-leverage arm for New York, though it's unclear when he might be cleared to pitch in a game again.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Records rare save vs. Royals
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Cruz picked up the save in Wednesday's win over the Royals after allowing one hit and one walk in two innings. He struck out two.
With both closer Devin Williams and setup man Luke Weaver having worked each of the past two days, Cruz was given a rare save chance and recorded six outs to get the job done. Cody Bellinger made a spectacular diving catch in right field for the final out of the game. Cruz has a strong 2.79 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB over 9.2 innings this year, but he's unlikely to see more than a handful of save opportunities in 2025 as long as the top of the Yankees' bullpen is healthy.
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Yankees' Fernando Cruz: Showing off strikeout stuff
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Through five outings this season, Cruz has a 10:1 K:BB over 5.2 innings while pitching to a 4.76 ERA and 0.71 WHIP and notching one hold.
Cruz's mediocre ERA so far can be attributed to one outing -- he gave up three runs over two-thirds of an inning against Pittsburgh on April 4. In the right-hander's other four appearances, he's held the opponent hitless and scoreless over five frames. Cruz posted a K/9 of 12.9 or better in each of his first three big-league campaigns with the Reds, and he's topping even that impressive mark so far this season with a 15.9 K/9 in the early going of his first year with New York. Cruz has just one hold so far, but he's seen most of his work in the seventh and eighth frames, suggesting that manager Aaron Boone trusts him in high-leverage situations. For fantasy managers in leagues that count holds, Cruz could be worth considering as a waiver-wire target considering his ability to rack up punchouts.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Serving as opener Friday
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Cruz is scheduled to serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the Mets.
He'll be making his third straight appearance as an opener after thriving on the previous two occasions Aug. 28 and 31. He covered five innings in those outings while striking out 11 and allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk. Cruz threw 42 pitches in each of those appearances, so he could be able to push up into the 50-to-55-pitch range Friday if the Reds elect to turn him loose. Jakob Junis and Brandon Williamson are both available on four days' rest and could be options to work in bulk relief once Cruz exits the contest.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Opening Wednesday
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Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Cruz has turned in a 5.30 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through 52.2 innings this season, and he'll now be called upon to make his first start of the campaign in what will likely be a bullpen game for Cincinnati. Only seven of Cruz's 61 appearances have lasted more than an inning, so he'll presumably be taken out of the game after recording the first three outs.
