Fernando E. Cruz (born March 28, 1990) is a Puerto Rican professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). The

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

selected Cruz in the sixth round of the

2007 MLB draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

as an

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

. He has previously played in MLB for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

, with whom he made his MLB debut in 2022.

Career

Kansas City Royals

The

selected Cruz in the sixth round, 186th overall, of the

2007 Major League Baseball draft The 2007 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the first 25 rounds and was scheduled to be broadcast "l ...

as an

. Cruz made his professional debut with the rookie-level Arizona League Royals. He spent the next two seasons with the rookie-level

Burlington Royals The Burlington Royals were a minor league baseball team in Burlington, North Carolina, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with the Cleveland Indians from 1986 to 2006 as the Burlington ...

, playing in a total of 157 games in the two years, hitting .277 and .221 with a cumulative 3 home runs and 44 RBI. Cruz converted into a

in 2011, but struggled in 17 appearances for the AZL Royals, for whom he posted a 2–3 record and 7.99 ERA with 15 walks and 17 strikeouts in innings pitched. He spent the 2012 season with the rookie-level

Idaho Falls Chukars The Idaho Falls Chukars are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleu ...

, logging a 4–3 record and 6.88 ERA with 17 walks, 38 strikeouts and 3 saves in innings of work. On October 3, 2012, Cruz was released by the Royals organization.

Chicago Cubs

After spending the 2013 and 2014 seasons out of affiliate ball, Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

organization on December 19, 2014. He spent the 2015 season split between three affiliates: the Single-A

Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of the National League in Major League Baseball. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games a ...

, the Double-A

Tennessee Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

, and the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

. In 32 combined games, he pitched to a 3–4 record and 5.64 ERA with 34 walks, 58 strikeouts and 3 saves in innings pitched. He was released by the Cubs during Spring Training the following year on March 29, 2016.

New Jersey Jackals

On April 17, 2016, Cruz signed with the

New Jersey Jackals The New Jersey Jackals are a professional baseball team based in Paterson, New Jersey. The Jackals compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the East Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is ...

of the

Can-Am League The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was a professional baseball league with teams in Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States. Founded in 2005 in Dayton, Ohio, the league was for ...

. He made 34 appearances for the team that season, registering a 6–3 record and 2.63 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 12 saves in 72 innings pitched. In 2017, Cruz made 7 starts for the club, posting a 4–2 record and 2.82 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 51 innings of work. He made only 1 start with the team in 2018, earning the win after tossing innings and allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts.

Pericos de Puebla

On August 10, 2018, Cruz signed with the

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: Puebla Parrots) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán. Established in 1938, the Pericos have won five Mexican League ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 9 appearances (2 starts) to close out the year, Cruz worked to a 1–1 record and 7.80 ERA with eight walks and 10 strikeouts in 15.0 innings of work. He became a free agent after the season.

Mariachis de Guadalajara

After taking the 2019 and 2020 seasons off, Cruz signed with the Mariachis de Guadalajara of the

on May 20, 2021. He pitched in 26 games for Guadalajara, logging a 4–1 record and 2.73 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 14 saves in innings pitched.

Cincinnati Reds

On February 1, 2022, Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

to begin the year. With Louisville, he was 4–4 with a 2.89 ERA in 56 innings, and second in the minor leagues with 23 saves. On September 1, 2022, Cruz was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut the following day, at age 32. He finished his rookie campaign making 14 appearances for Cincinnati, pitching to a 1.23 ERA with 21 strikeouts in innings. With Louisville, in two appearances he gave up three earned runs in 1.2 innings. Cruz pitched in 58 games for the Reds during the 2023 season, posting a 1-2 record and 4.91 ERA with 98 strikeouts over 66 innings of work. Cruz made 69 appearances for Cincinnati in 2024, compiling a 3-8 record and 4.86 ERA with 109 strikeouts across innings pitched.

New York Yankees

On December 20, 2024, the Reds traded Cruz and Alex Jackson to the

in exchange for Jose Trevino.

International career

Cruz played for the

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

in the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Fernando Living people 1990 births Arizona League Royals players Baseball players at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games Baseball players from Bayamón, Puerto Rico Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Puerto Rico Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Charros de Jalisco players Cincinnati Reds players Criollos de Caguas players Idaho Falls Chukars players Indios de Mayagüez players Iowa Cubs players Leones de Ponce baseball players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Mariachis de Guadalajara players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players New Jersey Jackals players New York Yankees players Pericos de Puebla players Puerto Rican people of Dominican Republic descent Tennessee Smokies players Tigres del Licey players 2023 World Baseball Classic players