Yovanny Cruz Is Forcing His Way Onto the Yankees Radar
- Jagger Stevens
- Apr 29
- 3 min read
Yovanny Cruz is a 26-year-old right-handed reliever currently pitching in Triple-A for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
He originally signed as an international free agent with the Chicago Cubs in August 2016 out of the Dominican Republic at just 16 years old, receiving a $60,000 signing bonus. Cruz would go on to spend seven seasons in the Cubs organization (2017–2023), working his way through multiple levels including the Dominican Summer League, Arizona League, and with affiliates like the Eugene Emeralds. His development wasn’t linear. Cruz underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021, a major setback that interrupted his progress. After returning and finishing out his time in the system, he became a free agent in November 2023.
From there, his career took a more journeyman path.
He signed with the San Diego Padres for the 2024 season, later joined the Boston Red Sox, and eventually became available again after not being added to the 40-man roster. Yankees then signed him to a minor league contract that so far is looking like it could be a steal.
Cruz got a late start to spring training due to shoulder issues, only appearing toward the end of camp. Despite the limited sample size, he made a strong impression, flashing the kind of stuff that quickly put him on the radar for Yankees fans as a potential contributor in 2026.
Cruz’s production has been overwhelming:
• 36.8% strikeout rate
• 5.3% walk rate
• .121 batting average against
• 45.3% whiff rate
• 99.4 MPH average fastball
Everything here points to dominance. He’s missing bats at an elite level while only walking 5.3% of hitters, which is not something you usually see from a power reliever. Command was always one of his biggest flaws, but he’s clearly taken a step forward there.
He’s also doing a great job keeping the ball on the ground with a 52.6% ground ball rate, which puts him in the 78th percentile. When you put it all together, a ton of strikeouts, very few walks, and keeping the ball on the ground, that’s exactly the kind of profile you want out of a high impact bullpen arm.
What This Means for the Yankees
When you have a guy doing this in Triple-A with a triple digit fastball, the Yankees would be foolish not to give him a shot.
At some point it stops being about the numbers and more about what he looks like on the mound. He’s overpowering hitters and looks like someone who can get outs right now, not just a depth arm sitting in Triple-A. And it’s not like the Yankees bullpen has been elite. They’re sitting with a 3.92 ERA, around 12th in the league, so there’s clearly room for improvement. There are guys getting innings right now who just haven’t been performing at a major league level, and that opens the door even more. This also lines up with what the Yankees usually go for in the bullpen. Velocity, swing and miss stuff, and guys who can come in and just get outs. Cruz fits that.
Bullpens change fast over a season, and when they need a fresh arm, he’s putting himself right at the top of that list.
At this point I would not be surprised at all if Yovanny Cruz is the first reliever called up. If he keeps this up, it is only a matter of time.
Every Prospect. Every Level. Every Day.
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