Cruz earned a save against Tampa Bay on Sunday, issuing three walks and striking out one batter over 1.1 scoreless and hitless innings.
Max Fried gave New York 7.2 splendid scoreless frames, and Cruz was called upon in the bottom of the eighth to get the final out after the Rays put a runner on base. Cruz walked the first batter he faced but escaped further danger by getting Junior Caminero to pop out. The Yankees plated a run in the top of the ninth to eliminate a save opportunity for closer Devin Williams, and Cruz ended up finishing off the victory successfully despite issuing two more free passes. It's been a great start to the season for the 35-year-old reliever, as he's posted a 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB over 12 innings while working as one of New York's top high-leverage relievers. Cruz has two saves over his past four appearances, but he's unlikely to see consistent save chances with Williams still the team's primary closer despite some early-season struggles and Luke Weaver the top candidate for most save chances when Williams is unavailable.
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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.
The Reds traded Cruz and Alex Jackson to the Yankees on Friday in exchange for Jose Trevino, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
Cruz has spent two full seasons with the Reds, accumulating a 4.88 ERA and 1.27 WHIP alongside a 207:63 K:BB over 132.2 total innings. The 34-year-old righty has plenty of experience handling high-leverage situations, finishing 2024 with 23 holds, but he could be moved into a middle relief role if he continues to surrender runs at a high rate.
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: Receives another opener assignment
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Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
For the second time in five games, Cruz will operate as an opener for the Reds. Despite not having recorded more than six outs in any of his prior 61 appearances this season, Cruz covered three innings as an opener in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the Athletics, striking out six while allowing one earned run on two hits and zero walks. Cruz tossed 42 pitches in that outing and will be taking the hill Saturday on just two days' rest, so he shouldn't expected to push up his innings count much, if at all, in his second start of the season.
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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.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Spoils quality start
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Cruz (3-6) picked up Saturday's loss, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk over one-third of an inning against Detroit. He was also charged with a blown save.
Cruz was part of a bullpen effort that spoiled starter Hunter Greene's seven shutout innings. The usually reliable Cruz retired the first batter he faced before permitting a double, a home run and a walk, and the recipient of the free pass came around to score after Cruz was removed. The reliever had allowed just five runs over his last 18 innings coming into Saturday.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Throws perfect eighth
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Cruz struck out one over a scoreless inning and picked up a hold in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.
The Yankees erased most of the Reds' 5-0 lead in the middle innings before Cruz and closer Alexis Diaz shut down New York's final six batters in order. The hold was Cruz's team-leading 16th. After a rocky first month-and-a-half, Cruz has settled in, pitching to a 2.08 ERA with 26 strikeouts over the last 17.1 innings (20 appearances).
Cruz (1-2) took the loss against the Padres on Wednesday. He allowed four runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning.
Cruz entered to start the seventh inning of a 2-2 game but surrendered two singles and a walk before Jake Cronenworth belted a grand slam. The right-hander faced one more batter, striking out Manny Machado, before departing. Other than Wednesday's effort and another in which he walked three batters, Cruz has pitched well over 13 outings. He entered Wednesday with a 1.59 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 11.1 innings.
Cruz (0-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Mets. He allowed a run on three walks while striking out two over one inning in a 3-2 defeat.
Cruz entered a clean seventh inning and got the first out before walking three consecutive batters. He nearly escaped trouble, but a potential double-play grounder was mishandled by shortstop Elly De La Cruz. The reliever has allowed two runs one one hit and three walks while striking out eight over 4.1 innings.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Preserving bullpen role
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Cruz walked one and struck out four over two hitless and scoreless innings in Thursday's spring game against the Rangers.
The 34-year-old Cruz spent his first full season in the majors in 2023 and could maintain a largely low-leverage role for the Reds in 2024. The right-hander's advanced metrics from last season -- 2.83 FIP, 34.5 whiff percentage, 35.1 strikeout percentage -- suggest a better result than the 4.91 ERA he posted. Cruz has options remaining, which could be a factor when manager David Bell determines the lefty-righty mix needed in the bullpen to start the season.
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