Cruz is scheduled to serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the Mets.
He'll be making his third straight appearance as an opener after thriving on the previous two occasions Aug. 28 and 31. He covered five innings in those outings while striking out 11 and allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk. Cruz threw 42 pitches in each of those appearances, so he could be able to push up into the 50-to-55-pitch range Friday if the Reds elect to turn him loose. Jakob Junis and Brandon Williamson are both available on four days' rest and could be options to work in bulk relief once Cruz exits the contest.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Receives another opener assignment
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Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
For the second time in five games, Cruz will operate as an opener for the Reds. Despite not having recorded more than six outs in any of his prior 61 appearances this season, Cruz covered three innings as an opener in Wednesday's 9-6 loss to the Athletics, striking out six while allowing one earned run on two hits and zero walks. Cruz tossed 42 pitches in that outing and will be taking the hill Saturday on just two days' rest, so he shouldn't expected to push up his innings count much, if at all, in his second start of the season.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Opening Wednesday
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Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Cruz has turned in a 5.30 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through 52.2 innings this season, and he'll now be called upon to make his first start of the campaign in what will likely be a bullpen game for Cincinnati. Only seven of Cruz's 61 appearances have lasted more than an inning, so he'll presumably be taken out of the game after recording the first three outs.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Spoils quality start
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Cruz (3-6) picked up Saturday's loss, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk over one-third of an inning against Detroit. He was also charged with a blown save.
Cruz was part of a bullpen effort that spoiled starter Hunter Greene's seven shutout innings. The usually reliable Cruz retired the first batter he faced before permitting a double, a home run and a walk, and the recipient of the free pass came around to score after Cruz was removed. The reliever had allowed just five runs over his last 18 innings coming into Saturday.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Throws perfect eighth
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Cruz struck out one over a scoreless inning and picked up a hold in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.
The Yankees erased most of the Reds' 5-0 lead in the middle innings before Cruz and closer Alexis Diaz shut down New York's final six batters in order. The hold was Cruz's team-leading 16th. After a rocky first month-and-a-half, Cruz has settled in, pitching to a 2.08 ERA with 26 strikeouts over the last 17.1 innings (20 appearances).
Cruz (1-2) took the loss against the Padres on Wednesday. He allowed four runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning.
Cruz entered to start the seventh inning of a 2-2 game but surrendered two singles and a walk before Jake Cronenworth belted a grand slam. The right-hander faced one more batter, striking out Manny Machado, before departing. Other than Wednesday's effort and another in which he walked three batters, Cruz has pitched well over 13 outings. He entered Wednesday with a 1.59 ERA with 21 strikeouts over 11.1 innings.
Cruz (0-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Mets. He allowed a run on three walks while striking out two over one inning in a 3-2 defeat.
Cruz entered a clean seventh inning and got the first out before walking three consecutive batters. He nearly escaped trouble, but a potential double-play grounder was mishandled by shortstop Elly De La Cruz. The reliever has allowed two runs one one hit and three walks while striking out eight over 4.1 innings.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Preserving bullpen role
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Cruz walked one and struck out four over two hitless and scoreless innings in Thursday's spring game against the Rangers.
The 34-year-old Cruz spent his first full season in the majors in 2023 and could maintain a largely low-leverage role for the Reds in 2024. The right-hander's advanced metrics from last season -- 2.83 FIP, 34.5 whiff percentage, 35.1 strikeout percentage -- suggest a better result than the 4.91 ERA he posted. Cruz has options remaining, which could be a factor when manager David Bell determines the lefty-righty mix needed in the bullpen to start the season.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Working as opener Tuesday
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Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Twins, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Cruz last served as an opener Aug. 26 against Arizona, allowing one unearned run on one hit while fanning four across 1.1 innings. He's set to work an inning or two Tuesday before turning the game over to a bulk reliever, with Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer relaying that Ben Lively is the most likely candidate to enter the game after Cruz's departure.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Back from COVID-19 IL
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Cruz was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday.
Cruz was one of a handful of Reds players to miss time with COVID-19, but he returns having been out for the minimum seven days. He's been an effective reliever for Cincinnati this season, posting a 4.12 ERA and 79:24 K:BB over 54.2 frames, but he has only one win and six holds in 49 appearances.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Wild in return
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Cruz allowed two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals.
It was wild outing for Cruz, who made his first appearances after being reinstated from the COVID-19-related list Friday. He hit the first batter faced, walked the next, then threw a couple of wild pitches.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Lands on COVID-19 IL
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The Reds placed Cruz on the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Cruz will join Hunter Greene and Ben Lively on the COVID-19 IL, and he'll be forced to miss at least one week. Carson Spiers was brought up from Double-A Chattanooga as Cruz's replacement.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Set to open Saturday's game
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Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Diamdonbacks, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Though the Reds haven't confirmed that a bulk reliever will work behind Cruz, Ben Lively (pectoral) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday and appears likely to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen. Cruz, who will be making his first start of 2023, hasn't recorded more than six outs in any of his 46 appearances this season. He carries a 4.30 ERA and 1.22 WHIP into Saturday's contest.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Activated from injured list
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Cruz was activated from the 15-day injured list by the Reds on Friday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Cruz missed nearly a month of action with a right shoulder strain but is ready to roll following a couple rehab appearances. He's posted a 6.59 ERA in 13.2 relief innings for the Reds this season, although that's come with 20 strikeouts.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Starting rehab assignment
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Cruz (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Cruz could be activated as soon as May 26 for the start of the Reds' next road trip. He's been out since late April with a right shoulder strain.
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Reds' Fernando Cruz: Hits IL with shoulder strain
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Cruz was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Cruz has struggled out of the gate to the tune of a 6.59 ERA over 13.2 innings out of the bullpen, and he'll now be shut down for at least a couple of weeks because of the shoulder injury. The Reds reinstated Graham Ashcraft from the bereavement list in a corresponding move.
