Inside The Pinstripes

Breakout Reliever Returns to Yankees Bullpen

The pitcher had been a revelation for the bullpen before he went down. The Yankees are set to activate him from the IL now.
Joseph Randazzo|
Jun 22, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Fernando Cruz (63) reacts after striking out the side during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Jun 22, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Fernando Cruz (63) reacts after striking out the side during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

The bullpen has been a strength for the New York Yankees over the past few years, which is why it feels surprising to see that this season, it has been such a weakness. Even their blowout wins aren't safe, as Yerry de los Santos failed to shut the door in the ninth as he loaded up the bases, and Mark Leiter gave up a grand slam after him. Help looks to be on the way, though, as one of its breakout pieces and a strikeout artist in Fernando Cruz is returning from the IL, manager Aaron Boone announced after their win against the Washington Nationals.

This season, Cruz has a 3.00 ERA, which is remarkably lower than his 4.86 ERA from last year, when he was with the Cincinnati Reds. This is no fluke, either, as he has a 2.72 xERA and a 2.48 FIP coupled with that low ERA.  

Cruz was positioned on the IL in July. He went down with a left oblique strain. Boone said that he would be out for a month, but that trip took a little longer than expected. This was Cruz's second stint, as he had also went down in May with a right shoulder strain. With this stint coming to a close, he will be replacing the same de los Santos who failed to close the door against the Nationals.

Despite two separate trips on the IL, Cruz's strikeout numbers are exorbitant. In 33 IP, he has 54 strikeouts. Returning to that bullpen is a nasty piece that sports a 41.2% K rate, 49.6% whiff rate, and, when batters do make contact, it isn't hard. They average an 87 MPH exit velocity against him. The downside is a 10.7% walk rate. That is one of the worst in the league.

Cruz's bread and butter is his split-finger fastball. It is how the 35-year-old reliever still makes his bones in the league. That splitter has a 56.5% whiff rate with a 7 Run Value, according to Baseball Savant. Hitters are hitting .138 off of it with a .225 slugging. The expected numbers are even lower. They have an expected batting average of .194 and .194 xSLG.

The magic of Cruz's splitter is that batters seem to know it's coming. He does throw it 59.3% of the time after all.

Cruz was traded to the Yankees last winter. In exchange, the Reds received Alex Jackson and fan favorite Jose Trevino, who is one of the best defensive catchers in the league and made one All-Star appearance in 2022.

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Joseph Randazzo
JOSEPH RANDAZZO

Joe Randazzo is a reference librarian who lives on Long Island. When he’s not behind a desk offering assistance to his patrons, he writes about the Yankees for Yankees On SI. Follow him as @YankeeLibrarian on X and Instagram.

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