Fernando Cruz to the injured list due to shoulder inflammation
New York Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, sources reported.
Cruz, who felt pain in his arm during an outing against the New York Mets, has been dealing with inflammation for the past three weeks. The pain intensified when he threw 26 pitches to the last seven batters in a 3-2 loss.
Despite the trouble, Cruz managed to get the last out of the eighth inning and the first out of the ninth, although he then loaded the bases and allowed a sacrifice fly that broke the tie, hit by Francisco Lindor.
“I’m not making any excuses in that particular game, but I felt different with my arm. Obviously, but we fought through it. We finished the episode and we’ll be back soon,” Cruz stated.
Fernando Cruz
After informing the team’s trainers, Cruz received a cortisone injection that weakened his arm for the next two days. However, imaging and MRI tests revealed no signs of a major injury.
The measure is retroactive to Monday, and Cruz reported that he threw from distances of 60 to 75 feet on Thursday. Manager Aaron Boone indicated that Cruz will join the Yankees on their next nine-game road trip and could begin throwing from the mound shortly.
Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds on December 20, Cruz is 1-2 with two saves and an ERA of 2.66 in 21 outings. Known for his splitter, the 35-year-old pitcher has recorded 31 of his 35 strikeouts with this pitch, holding opposing batters to a .155 average.
“It’s been great, but these things happen. I think, according to the MRI and such, we don’t think it’s anything too significant. So, hopefully, this little downtime will get him where he needs to be,” Boone commented.
Aaron Boone
To replace Cruz on the roster, the Yankees called up Brent Headrick from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Headrick made four scoreless appearances with the Yankees in the early weeks of the season, and the 27-year-old pitcher was 2-0 with a 3.72 ERA in eight starts with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
