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Cruz threw a clean ninth inning to secure the save Monday against the Athletics.
Cruz continues to establish himself as Kansas City's favorite for saves. The right-hander has successfully converted each of his last five save chances, with each coming since July 22, and he's been scored upon just five times in his last 24 outings. Cruz, who has a 4.08 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 51:18 K:BB over 46.1 innings, should serve as the Royals' closer while the club continues to wait and see if Carlos Estevez (shoulder) will return this season.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Secures fourth save
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Cruz earned the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Angels, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
Cruz was called on with a one-run lead in the ninth inning and closed things out on 12 pitches. The 27-year-old has converted each of his four save chances since the All-Star break, posting a 2.57 ERA over 14 appearances during that span. On the year, he's tallied four saves and four holds to go along with a 4.17 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 51:18 K:BB across 45.1 innings.
Cruz secured the save Wednesday against the Twins, throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out one.
With Alex Lange having surrendered 16 runs over his past 10 outings, Cruz is making inroads on claiming a larger share of the Royals' save opportunities going forward. Over 28 innings since the beginning of June, Cruz boasts a 2.25 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 28:6 K:BB. Each of the right-hander's three saves on the season have come since July 22 as well, making Cruz someone to consider for fantasy managers in need of saves while Kansas City continues to wait on Carlos Estevez (shoulder) to get healthy.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Steps up for second save
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Cruz secured the save Sunday against the Tigers, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out two.
Closer Alex Lange was presumably getting Sunday off after picking up the save Saturday against Detroit, allowing Cruz to get a save opportunity. Cruz does have his two saves for the season in his past three appearances, so he at least appears to have worked his way into Kansas City's high-leverage mix along with Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm and Daniel Lynch. Through 37 innings, Cruz has a 4.62 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 45:17 K:BB.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Snags first career save
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Cruz struck out one and served up a solo home run in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his first career save in a 5-4 win over the Giants.
With Alex Lange having worked the prior two days, Cruz got the call in the ninth and got the job done, although he was taken deep by Casey Schmitt to make things interesting. Cruz has been scored upon just twice in his last 13 appearances, both times on solo shots, and over that stretch the right-hander has a 1.38 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB in 13 innings.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Slated to open Wednesday's game
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Cruz will serve as the Royals' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
He'll draw his second start of the season, though Cruz is expected to work just one or two innings before giving way to the bullpen. Randy Dobnak hasn't been used since making a four-inning relief appearance last Thursday against the Rays, so the Royals could turn to him to cover multiple frames out of the bullpen once Cruz exits the contest.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Drawing opener assignment Friday
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Cruz is listed as the Royals' opener for Friday's game against the White Sox.
Kansas City has an opening in its rotation Friday with Stephen Kolek (personal) away from the team while he awaits the birth of his child, so Cruz will step in to make his first MLB start since 2023. The 27-year-old right-hander hasn't recorded more than six outs in any appearance this season and will be pitching on just two days' rest, so he's unlikely to last even once through the batting order. The Royals called up Mitch Spence from Triple-A Omaha on Friday, and he'll presumably be tasked with covering multiple innings in bulk relief.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Tagged with loss in extras
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Cruz (0-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Cardinals after allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk across two-thirds of an inning.
Cruz entered Friday's game to pitch the 11th inning in a 4-4 tie, but he allowed a two-out RBI single to Yohel Pozo, scoring Nathan Church. Cruz has made four appearances since returning to the big-league roster May 8, posting a 6:3 K:BB across 3.2 innings. This unearned run was the lone run he's given up in that span.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Back in majors
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The Royals recalled Cruz from Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
The right-hander spent some time in the majors in early April but was sent back to Omaha after giving up eight runs across five appearances. Cruz will rejoin the Royals a month later and should fill a low-leverage relief role.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Sent back to Omaha
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The Royals optioned Cruz to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.
Cruz has struggled with consistency since being recalled to the big leagues at the beginning of the month, allowing eight earned runs over five innings despite going unscored upon in three of his five appearances. He'll aim to right the ship in the minors; meanwhile, Eli Morgan will come up from Omaha to fill the vacancy in Kansas City's bullpen.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Summoned from minors
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The Royals recalled Cruz from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
He'll take the roster spot vacated by Carlos Estevez (foot), who was placed on the 15-day injured list. Cruz posted a 3.74 ERA and 38:18 K:BB over 45.2 frames for the Royals last season and should work low-leverage innings.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Sent down to Triple-A
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The Royals optioned Cruz to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
Cruz has performed well in the Cactus League, allowing just one earned run while striking out seven batters in 5.2 frames, but he will come up short in the race for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. The 26-year-old owns a 3.66 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 64 career innings with the Royals, so it is likely a matter of time before he returns to Kansas City.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Scoreless spring outing
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Cruz allowed no hits or walks across 1.1 scoreless innings in Monday's Cactus League loss to the Guardians.
Cruz entered to record the final out of the seventh inning before retiring the side in order in the eighth frame. Monday marked his third scoreless outing of the spring, though it was the first time the right-hander failed to record a strikeout after punching out a pair in each of his first two appearances. The 26-year-old's fastball, which averaged 98.2 mph last season, sat at 96.6 mph against the Guardians, though velocity dips during spring training are common and not overly concerning unless they persist into the regular season. Cruz will look to continue producing strong results in Cactus League play as he competes for a spot in the big-league bullpen to open the 2026 campaign.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Returns from IL
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The Royals activated Cruz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list Friday.
Cruz has been on the shelf since Aug. 3 due to tendinitis in his throwing shoulder, but he's been cleared to rejoin the active roster. The 26-year-old made four appearances during a minor-league rehab stint, allowing three hits and no walks with four strikeouts across 4.1 innings. Lucas Erceg (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Pitching well in rehab assignment
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Cruz (shoulder) struck out two and gave up a hit and no walks over 1.1 innings in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
Cruz has yet to allow a run in four rehab outings with Triple-A Omaha as he works back from right shoulder tendinitis. Before the injury, he posted a 3.61 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 42.1 innings in 43 appearances out of Kansas City's bullpen. A return to the majors should come soon, giving the club a fresh relief option after a taxing series against Seattle.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Ready for rehab assignment
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Cruz (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
Cruz has missed more than a month of action with right shoulder tendinitis but is ready to test things out in a game setting. As long as things go well, the righty reliever shouldn't require too many rehab outings before being reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Completes another side session
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Cruz (shoulder) threw a bullpen session of about 20 pitches Saturday, MLB.com reports.
Cruz has now completed two side sessions since landing on the injured list Aug. 3 and is expected to increase the volume and intensity of his bullpen work during the upcoming week before advancing to facing live hitters. The right-hander will likely require a rehab assignment prior to being activated from the injured list but could be ready to rejoin the Kansas City bullpen around mid-September.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Completes shortened bullpen session
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Cruz (shoulder) threw a light bullpen Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Cruz took a step forward in his rehab for right shoulder tendinitis, throwing a short bullpen session of 15 to 20 pitches. The right-hander had previously been limited to flat-ground work from about 75 feet, so this progression is encouraging. While the Royals haven't provided a firm timeline, a late-season return remains on the table.
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Royals' Steven Cruz: Early stages of throwing program
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Cruz (shoulder) is throwing from about 75 feet and is in the beginning stages of his throwing progression, MLB.com reports.
Cruz was placed on the injured list Aug. 3 with right shoulder tendinitis and, per manager Matt Quatraro, is still in the early stages of his rehab. While no firm return date has been set, the slow pace of his recovery suggests the 26-year-old is more likely to return sometime in September than by the end of August.
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