One of the New York Yankees’ key relief pitchers, Fernando Cruz, has returned from injury as the team heads into a crucial part of the season. Before Tuesday’s game against the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees activated right-hander Cruz from the 15-day injured list.
Cruz had been out since late June due to a left oblique strain. He was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in an offseason trade for catcher Jose Trevino. Prior to his injury, Cruz posted a 3.00 ERA with 54 strikeouts over 33 innings pitched. His 41.2% strikeout rate is currently the highest among pitchers with at least 30 innings this year.
In his return on Tuesday night, Cruz faced five Nationals batters, striking out two but also loading the bases before being replaced by left-hander Tim Hill.
Manager Aaron Boone expressed optimism about Cruz’s return: “Really excited to get him back,” said Boone before the Yankees’ 5-1 victory. “He’s had a great year, albeit with missing some time now and having an earlier stint on the IL; but when he’s been out there, he’s been terrific.”
Boone indicated that Cruz will play an important role going forward: “All hands on deck; here we go,” said Boone. “I’m not going to shy away from him. … We’ll be careful with back to backs, especially on a longer outing and things like that. We’ll try to take care of him as best we can, but it’s also go time and we expect him to be a key part of the ‘pen moving forward.”
Cruz’s activation comes as New York trails Toronto by five and a half games for first place in the American League East and sits just behind Boston for the top AL Wild Card spot. Although several relievers were added at this year’s Trade Deadline, bullpen performance has lagged recently, recording a collective ERA of 4.29 with six blown saves across 22 games this month.
