A late-blooming out of nowhere relief pitcher is one of the great understated joys of baseball, and the Yankees acquired one of their own prior to the 2025 season. Fernando Cruz, who was drafted nearly two decades ago in 2007 by the Royals, didn’t make his major league debut until 2022, at the age of 32.
Following his long journey to the bigs, Cruz spent three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, showing promising stuff and elite strikeout potential, despite struggles in the run-prevention department. The Yankees took a flyer on the righty reliever in the deal that sent Jose Trevino to Cincy prior to last season. He continued to show excellent stuff on the mound, as the Yankees hope he can build on the late-career success that has brought him to this point.
2025 Stats: 49 GP, 48 IP, 3.56 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 1.19 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, 0.8 fWAR
2026 ZiPS Projections: 61 GP, 61.0 IP, 3.41 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, 12.07 K/9, 4.17 BB/9, 0.97 HR/9, 0.9 fWAR
In his four seasons in the major leagues, Fernando Cruz has never struck out less than 32.8 percent of opposing batters — a skill that has gotten him to this point in his mid-30s, and one that will likely keep him around if he’s able to maintain it. When the Yankees took him on, he was on the fast track to a prominent role in the bullpen. On the whole, he did not disappoint.
Across 48 innings of work in his first season with the Yankees, Cruz managed a 3.56 ERA and 3.18 FIP to back it up, all while striking out a characteristic 36 percent of hitters. Walks are and always have been an issue for the righty, as his 12 percent clip in 2025 was an improvement. But the skill is clear to the naked eye, and despite this coming year being his age-36 campaign, there could be plenty of improvement left to be seen.
Cruz relies on his split-finger more than half the time, and it would be hard to blame him. It’s one of the best around the league, as he has generated a whiff rate close to 60 percent with the pitch throughout his career. It’s the obvious money-maker for Cruz, and he’s not afraid to show that, with the pitch carrying plenty of the load and balancing things out with a fastball that is not exactly overpowering.
Not long after a blow-up against the Tigers in early September, Cruz finished the season strong for the Yankees, and clearly earned the trust of the club heading into October. This was evident in the run Aaron Boone and company gave the right-hander in the postseason. He pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in the Wild Card round, before allowing one run across his two appearances in the Division Series.
It feels safe to assume a decent role for Cruz with the Yankees in 2026. He had a solid year, and has the pieces to put together elite stretches of pitching out of the bullpen. He has a top tier pitch in the repertoire, which can take a pitcher in his circumstances almost anywhere. On top of that, Cruz has already earned himself a level of trust worthy of innings for the Yankees at the highest stakes. He may not be leading the charge in relief, but a significant role isn’t hard to envision.
He is likely a high-variance player in terms of outcomes. It feels equally believable that he posts a low-2s ERA in 60 innings or that he plays much of the season away from the major league roster. Either way, a high-ceiling reliever like Fernando Cruz is far from a bad player to have on a roster.
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