The New York Yankees reliever, Fernando Cruz, will perform with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and will appear on the roster that will be published by the MLB this Thursday, February 5.
His case was re-evaluated by the MLB, since in principle, his insurance had not been approved to participate. This week the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation, through its president, José Quiles, publicly complained about so many refusals they received from the tournament’s insurer with their players.
This seems to have influenced the decision of Cruz and the pitchers Jovani Morán and Luis Quiñones, who were initially ruled out. Through its general manager, Carlos Beltrán, the Puerto Rico Federation spoke with commissioner Rob Manfred and the cases of these players were evaluated again.
There is still no news about Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa, who have higher contracts than their teammates and that is why the insurance issue is a little more complicated. However, everything will be clarified this Thursday with the publication of the official rosters for the event.
Cruz is coming off his first season with the New York Yankees, in which he had a 3.56 ERA, with a record of 3 wins and 4 losses, with 72 strikeouts in 48 innings. He is expected to be a key arm in Aaron Boone’s bullpen in the 2026 season.
But first, he will help Puerto Rico in the Classic, being an ideal reliever for the seventh or eighth inning, since the ninth corresponds to the star Edwin Díaz, new closer of the Los Angeles Dodgers after completing a successful stage of his career with the New York Mets.
Cruz debuted in the Major Leagues at an advanced age, when in 2022 he pitched for the first time at the age of 32 with the Cincinnati Reds. He spent three seasons on the red team and then dressed in the Yankees uniform last season.
The 35-year-old right-hander has a career MLB ERA of 4.28 in 195.1 innings pitched, with 300 strikeouts and 96 walks. He was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the 2007 MLB Draft in the sixth round, but was never able to debut with the team that took him.
He has experience in winter leagues such as those in Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico. It is an ideal arm for this type of tournaments.
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