Jesús Cruz (born April 15, 1995) is a Mexican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

and

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

Career

Sultanes de Monterrey

Cruz began his professional career by signing with the Sultanes de Monterrey of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

on March 30, 2017. Cruz struggled to an 8.49 ERA in 13 appearances for Monterrey before he was released on July 1.

St. Louis Cardinals

On July 2, 2017, Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He finished the 2017 season splitting time between three Cardinals affiliates; the Dominican Summer League Cardinals, the rookie-level

GCL Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals are a Rookie-level affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Cardinals. The team plays i ...

, and the Low-A

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. T ...

. With the three clubs, Cruz worked to a 1.42 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 19.0 innings pitched across 15 combined appearances. In 2018, Cruz split the season between the Single-A

Peoria Chiefs The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns. They are located in Peoria, Illinois, and are named for the Peor ...

and the High-A

Palm Beach Cardinals The Palm Beach Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Rog ...

, pitching to a 7–1 record and 3.27 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 30 total games. He spent the 2019 season split between the Double-A

Springfield Cardinals The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They compete as a member of the Texas League's North Division. The Cardinals began play in 2005. The team is owned by the 11-time Major League Baseball ...

and the Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

, but struggled overall to the tune of a 6.02 ERA with 89 strikeouts, a 13.1 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 in 52 contests between the two affiliates. Cruz did not play in a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Cruz was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time on August 18, 2020, and same day he made his MLB debut. He made his major league debut that day against the Chicago Cubs, allowing two earned runs in an inning of relief. He was optioned down to the alternate training site following the appearance. On September 1, Cruz was designated for assignment by the Cardinals after Ryan Helsley was activated off of the COVID list. Cruz spent the 2021 season with Triple-A Memphis, posting a 3.06 ERA with 38 strikeouts across 37 appearances. In the offseason, Cruz played with the

Águilas de Mexicali The Águilas de Mexicali ( en, Mexicali Eagles) are a professional baseball based in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. They compete in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), a Mexican winter league. The team plays at Estadio Nido de los Águilas als ...

of the Mexican Pacific League. On March 30, 2022, Cruz was released by the Cardinals organization.

Atlanta Braves

On April 6, 2022, Cruz signed a minor league deal with the

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevil ...

to begin the year. Cruz was recalled to the major leagues on May 29. He was sent outright on August 6, 2022. On October 14, Cruz elected to become a free agent.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 24, 2023, Cruz signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Jesus 1995 births Living people Águilas de Mexicali players Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from San Luis Potosí Charros de Jalisco players Dominican Summer League Cardinals players Mexican expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Gulf Coast Cardinals players Gwinnett Stripers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico Memphis Redbirds players Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Mexican League baseball pitchers Palm Beach Cardinals players Peoria Chiefs players Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players State College Spikes players Sultanes de Monterrey players 2023 World Baseball Classic players