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

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

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) 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Career

Sultanes de Monterrey

Cruz began his professional career by signing with the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

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 ...

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 Dominican Summer League Cardinals or DSL Cardinals are a rookie league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals based in the Dominican Republic. The team plays in the Boca Chica South division of the Dominican Summer League. History The team fir ...

, the rookie-level

Gulf Coast League Cardinals The Florida Complex League Cardinals or FCL Cardinals are a rookie league 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. ...

, 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 on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. The team was fo ...

. 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 Pe ...

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 Roge ...

, 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 are members of the Texas League's North Division and serve as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began pl ...

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 Redbird ...

, 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Cruz was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time on August 18, 2020 and made his MLB debut that night, allowing two earned runs in an inning of relief against 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 ...

. 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 Ryan Dalton Helsley (born July 18, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Helsley played college baseball at Northeastern State University. He was selected by the Cardinals ...

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 () are a professional baseball team based in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. They compete in the Mexican Pacific League (LMP). The team plays at the Estadio Nido de los Águilas also known simply as "El Nido" (The Nest ...

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

to begin the year. Cruz was recalled to the major leagues on May 29. He pitched in 7 games, allowing 6 runs in innings, before being sent back to Gwinnett on June 20. He was outrighted off the roster on August 6. 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 The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. In 28 games for the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

, he posted a 5.40 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 35 innings of work. The Phillies released Cruz on July 25.

Leones de Yucatán

On July 27, 2023, Cruz signed with the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team plays its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in 1957 ...

of the

. In four outings for Yucatán, he did not concede a run, striking out six in four innings pitched. In 2024, Cruz made 39 appearances for Yucatán, he logged a 1–2 record and 5.70 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 7 saves across innings pitched.

Los Angeles Angels

On February 13, 2025, Cruz was traded to the

Saraperos de Saltillo The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serapes) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (1980, 2009 ...

. However, on February 28, Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. In 11 appearances (five starts) for the Double-A

Rocket City Trash Pandas The Rocket City Trash Pandas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Madison, Alabama, and play their home games at Toyota Field. History In November 20 ...

, he posted an 0-1 record and 4.15 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 26 innings of work. Cruz was released by the Angels organization on June 29.

International career

Cruz has pitched for the Mexican national team in several international tournaments. He pitched in three games 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 ...

, pickup up the loss in the 10th inning against

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

after Luis Urías committed an error at shortstop. He was part of the squad that won the bronze medal at the

2023 Pan American Games The 2023 Pan American Games (), officially the XIX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Santiago 2023, were an international multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, held in Santiago, Chile from 20 October to 5 Novem ...

contested in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

in October 2023. He also pitched in the

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

and

2024 WBSC Premier12 The 2024 WBSC Premier12 was the 3rd edition of the WBSC Premier12, a baseball championship featuring the 12 highest-ranked national teams in the world, held by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Originally scheduled for 2023, but de ...

tournaments. In 2024, he earned the win against

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

but took the loss against

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

after allowing an unearned run to score.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Jesus 1995 births Living people Águilas de Mexicali players Atlanta Braves players Baseball players at the 2023 Pan American Games Baseball players from San Luis Potosí Charros de Jalisco players Dominican Summer League Cardinals players Gulf Coast Cardinals players Gwinnett Stripers players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Leones de Yucatán players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Mexico 21st-century Mexican sportsmen Medalists at the 2023 Pan American Games Memphis Redbirds players Mexican League baseball pitchers Mexican expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Mexican expatriate baseball players in the United States Palm Beach Cardinals players Pan American Games bronze medalists for Mexico Pan American Games bronze medalists in baseball Peoria Chiefs players Rocket City Trash Pandas players Springfield Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals players State College Spikes players Sultanes de Monterrey players 2023 World Baseball Classic players World Baseball Classic players of Mexico