NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees placed slumping reliever Fernando Cruz on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort on Wednesday, a day after the right-hander allowed his fifth homer since the All-Star break.
Putting Cruz on the injured list was among five moves the Yankees before tonight's game against the Astros.
New York signed Michael Fulmer to a major league contract and added him to its active roster and recalled Elmer Rodríguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start Wednesday's game. The Yankees also optioned reliever Bradley Hanner to Triple-A and transferred reliever Kervin Castro to the 60-day injured list.
In his second season with the Yankees, Cruz is 4-6 with a 3.13 ERA in 61 appearances. He allowed a tying two-run homer to Jeremy Peña on a fastball in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 9-7 loss and has a 5.52 ERA in 17 appearances since the All-Star break.
The Yankees were waiting for results of imaging for Cruz, who was seen exiting the clubhouse with a trainer after saying he was healthy following Tuesday's game.
“Anytime you have that and the trainers feel like an IL situation before getting the results,” manager Aaron Boone said. “So we’ll see what we have and then attack it from there.”
Cruz was 3-4 with a 3.56 ERA last season after being acquired from Cincinnati for catcher Jose Trevino. Cruz missed two months in 2025 with a strained left oblique that he suffered while working out with a medicine ball, along with a brief absence due to a strained right shoulder.
Cruz became the 17th Yankee to spend time on the injured list this year and the second in the last four days. Starting pitcher Ryan Weathers landed on the IL Sunday with a strained left forearm after feeling pain during the fourth inning a day earlier against Toronto.
Fulmer made 37 appearances in Triple-A with the Giants and Angels. The 33-year-old right-hander made three scoreless relief appearances for the Angels before getting designated for assignment on Sunday.
Fulmer said the Yankees were the first team to call his agent. He signed a minor league deal Tuesday after clearing waivers and was headed to meet Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in Worcester before replacing Cruz.
“As soon as I cleared, the Yankees were the first team to call, which I value quite a bit a team that’s showing interest like that,” Fulmer said.
The 33-year-old won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2016 with Detroit after being acquired from the Mets for Yoenis Cespedes at the 2015 trade deadline. He underwent Tommy John surgery in March of 2019 and right elbow surgery cost him the 2024 season.
He is 37-50 with a 3.92 ERA in 268 appearances with the Tigers, Twins, Cubs, Red Sox and Angels.
“I’m excited to get him here,” Boone said. “Obviously it’s a guy that’s got a lot of experiences, had a lot of success in the big leagues, has been through a lot on the injury front. He’s a guy that’s had a good season and is throwing the ball well and hopefully he can come here and grab a role."
Rodríguez was called up for his fifth career start and is 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA. Rodriguez is 8-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 19 starts at Triple-A this season.
Castro appeared in five games before going on the injured list with right elbow neuritis and is meeting with a doctor to discuss a possible surgery. Hanner allowed three runs in three appearances.
—-
https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press
