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| Juan Cruz has been activated from the DL following his recovery from a strained right shoulder, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Cruz is 3-4 with a 6.17 ERA this season, and is expected to be available to work in the Royals' bullpen for Thursday's game. He has been on the shelf since August 6.
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| The Kansas City Star reports that reliever Juan Cruz tested his strained shoulder with a bullpen session on Wednesday. |
Our View: Cruz hasn't pitched since August 5th, but has progressed nicely in bullpen sessions over the last week. He will be reevaluated today, but expect him to pitch for the Royals again this season.
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| MLB.com is reporting that Royals' pitcher Juan Cruz threw well in a bullpen session on Friday. Cruz is expected to throw another session on Sunday, and the team hopes he can return before the end of the season. |
Our View: Cruz is trying to come back from a strained right shoulder, and it looks like he is well on his way. If today's bullpen goes well, he could throw again tomorrow. Assuming he has not setbacks, expect Cruz to pitch again this season.
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| Juan Cruz retired all six hitters in Sunday's win against the Royals, and he improved to 3-0 on the season. He has won his last 11 decisions and has not lost since June 9, 2007. |
Our View: Cruz is the Royals interim closer with Joakim Soria on the DL, and he is a lights out setup man when Soria is healthy. He is among the most valuable setup men in fantasy baseball. He currently has a 1.45 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP through 18.2 innings of work.
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| Juan Cruz picked up his first save of the season as the Royals defeated the Blue Jays 8-6 on Thursday. He struck out one hitter while not allowing any base runners. |
Our View: Joakim Soria is recovering from some shoulder discomfort, but he's not expected to be placed on the DL. It would appear that Cruz is the team's backup closer if Soria is unavailable in the future.
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| Juan Cruz tossed two perfect innings as the Royals beat the White Sox 2-0 on Wednesday. He did not allow a base runner, but also did not record a srikeout. Sixteen of his 21 pitches went for strikes. |
Our View: Cruz should be able to wrestle the setp job away from Kyle Farnsworth before too long. He is a far more reliable pitcher, and by far the better free-agent value from this past offseason.
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| As expected, Juan Cruz has inked a two-year deal with the Royals with an option for 2011, according to the Associated Press. Financial terms were not disclosed. |
Our View: Cruz should push for the setup role, and would be a solid source for strikeouts in leagues that feature middle men. He will be joining his fifth MLB club, as he previously served with the Cubs, Braves, Athletics and Diamondbacks.
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| Juan Cruz may be nearing a deal with the Royals, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. |
Our View: Cruz would provide a significant upgrade to the Royals' bullpen, especially after losing Leo Nunez and Ramon Ramirez. He could push for the setup role, and would be a solid source for strikeouts in leagues that feature middle men.
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| The Twins have ended talks with Juan Cruz, according to the Star Tribune. |
Our View: Cruz rejected the Twins' offer, and they decided to walk away. The Twins are in the market for a reliever, but it is uncertain if they will pursue other options, such as Joe Beimel.
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| The Twins are not close to acquiring Juan Cruz, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Minnesota is interested in the reliever, but they are yet to make him an offer.
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| The Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks are nearing a sign-and-trade deal to send reliever Juan Cruz to the Twins. |
Our View: The twins made the reliever an offer, but it had a 48 hour deadline attached to it. Assuming the Twins are offering something of tangible value for Cruz, look for Arizona to complete this deal.
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| The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins have made an offer to free-agent reliever Juan Cruz as part of a sign-and-trade agreement with the Diamondbacks. If Cruz accepts the offer, the two teams have 48 hours to agree on a trade, or the contract will become null and void. |
Our View: Cruz, who was one of baseball's most effective right-handed relieves a season ago, recently ended negotiations with Arizona.
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| The Rangers are not pursuing free agent reliever Juan Cruz, according to the Star-Telegram. |
Our View: Cruz would become a key piece of the Rangers' bullpen, but money issues will prevent a deal. The club stated that they will not add any significant salary at this point.
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| The Diamondbacks are working on a sign and trade deal involving reliever Juan Cruz, according to MLB.com. The Commissioner's Office has recently okayed such deals so that interested teams would not have to surrender a draft pick in the event of signing a Type A free agent, such as Cruz. |
Our View: Cruz and his representatives would have to strike a deal with another team first, then bring that deal back to the Diamondbacks. At that point, Arizona would get in touch with said team to work out a swap that they deem appropriate. Once all precursors have been met, Cruz would sign with Arizona, and they would in turn execute the trade with the other team. In other words, don't expect Cruz to be signed tomorrow.
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| The Arizona Republic reports that the Diamondbacks are continuing discussions with reliever Juan Cruz. "A solution that works for us and works for him is unclear," general manager Josh Byrnes said. "We're at least trying to see how to make this a favorable outcome." |
Our View: The 30-year-old Cruz, who posted a 2.61 ERA and 71 strikeouts in only 51 innings, was a crucial part of a Diamondback staff that posted an overall ERA of 3.98, the seventh-best in baseball.
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| Reliever Juan Cruz could be re-signed by the Diamondbacks at the right price, according to ESPN.com. |
Our View: Cruz has some very impressive stuff as evidenced by his 12.38 K/9 rate. He walks more hitters than we would like, but he still managed to keep a tidy 2.61 ERA last season.
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| The Dodgers may steer clear of signing reliever Juan Cruz because he is a Type-A free agent, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. Any teams that inks Cruz would give up a first-round pick in 2009. |
Our View: The Dodgers may not want to be as picky after losing out on closer Trevor Hoffman. Jonathan Broxton will close in 2009, but they could use a power arm like Cruz for the eighth inning.
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| The Dodgers have garnered interest in reliever Juan Cruz, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. |
Our View: The Dodgers could use him as a setup man with Jonathan Broxton as their closer. Cruz notably fired 71 strikeouts over 51.2 innings of relief with the Diamondbacks in 2008.
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| Juan Cruz is believed to be on the Nationals' radar, according to the Washington Post. |
Our View: The Nationals are interested in Brian Fuentes as well, and it is uncertain which reliever they have higher on their list.
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| The Mets are aiming to improve their bullpen but are not believed to be interested in Juan Cruz, according to the NY Times. |
Our View: Cruz fired 71 strikeouts over 51.2 innings of relief in 2008, while maintaining a 1.26 WHIP, but the Mets consider him unproven. They are also looking for relievers that can pitch multiple innings.
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| The Giants are still interested in free agent reliever Juan Cruz after inking Jeremy Affeldt, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. |
Our View: The Giants are still in the market for more pitching help for their bullpen, and Cruz would be a strong addition as he held a 1.26 WHIP while firing 71 strikeouts over 51.2 innings of relief with Arizona in 2008.
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| The Phillies are interested in free agent setup man Juan Cruz, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. |
Our View: Tom Gordon is expected to depart through free agency, which will open a spot for Cruz in the bullpen. He would be a strong addition to the Phillies' pen, as he held a 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 71 strikeouts over 51.2 innings of relief with Arizona in 2008.
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| Juan Cruz was activated from the disabled list on Friday, and he will join the team in his former role in the bullpen, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: Cruz can give fantasy teams a lift in very deep leagues if they are in desperate need of strikeouts. He has a 13.50 K/9 mark so far this year.
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| Juan Cruz pitched two innings Wednesday in his final rehab appearance for Triple-A Tucson and will be activated from the DL Friday, according to the Arizona Republic. He's coming back from an oblique injury. |
Our View: Cruz will fill a middle relief role upon his return.
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| Juan Cruz, who is recovering from a strained left oblique, could be activated from the DL as soon as Thursday, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: The D-Backs' bullpen is deep following the addition of Jon Rauch, but Cruz should still hold some fantasy value, namely in the strikeouts department, as he has 46 over 30.2 innings.
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| The Arizona Republic reports that right-handed reliever Juan Cruz , on the disabled list since July 6 because of a strained left oblique, is on course to be activated next week, when the Diamondbacks visit National League West rivals San Diego and Los Angeles. |
Our View: The addition of Jon Rauch shakes everything up in the bullpen. Regardless, Cruz is lethal and should still earn his share of holds. He has 46 strikeouts in 30.2 IP this season.
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| Juan Cruz, who is recovering from a strained left oblique, is scheduled to throw a side session Tuesday, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: Barring a setback, he would then likely partake in a one-game rehab assignment prior to rejoining Arizona's pen.
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| Juan Cruz, who is recovering from a strained left oblique, threw a bulpen session on Sunday, according to the Arizona Republic. He felt fine with no issues reported following the outing. |
Our View: The plan is for Cruz to throw at least one more pen session, and the team is likely to send him on a rehab assignment.
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| Juan Cruz, who is recovering from a strained left oblique, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, according to the East Valley Tribune. |
Our View: Cruz will likely need to throw at least one more pen session before the team decides when to activate him from the DL. He has fared well as a fantasy middle reliever this season, as he namely racked up 46 strikeouts over 30.2 innings. He didn't record any saves, but has two wins to his credit.
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| Juan Cruz, who is trying to bounce back from a left oblique strain, is expected to throw a pen session Friday, according to the East Valley Tribune. |
Our View: He will likely need one rehab assignment before rejoining the Diamondbacks.
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| Juan Cruz, who is recovering from a left oblique strain, played catch on Friday, according to the Arizona Republic. |
Our View: Manager Bob Melvin indicated there was no schedule for him to throw off a mound.
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| As expected, Juan Cruz has been placed on the 15-day DL due to a strained left oblique muscle, according to the AP. The team recalled righty Connor Robertson from Triple-A Tucson to fill his spot on the roster. |
Our View: Cruz was a solid source for strikeouts as a reliever, as he fired 46 over 30.2 innings this season.
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| Juan Cruz was removed from the D'backs game on Saturday night due to an undisclosed arm injury. |
Our View: Cruz has been dealing with a troublesome side of late, so perhaps he was overcompensating on this night leading to some issue with his arm. We don't know the severity of the injury, though he could be headed to the DL.
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| The Diamondbacks inked Juan Cruz Wednesday to a one-year deal worth slightly less than $2 million. Cruz had a nice year pitching exclusively out of the bullpen last year for Arizona, holding a 3.10 ERA with 87 Ks over 61 innings. |
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| Juan Cruz was forced to exit Wednesday's game with neck and shoulder tightness. An MRI Thursday revealed only inflammation, according to the Arizona Republic. It sounds like a minor problem right now, but he may sit out the remainder of the weekend to rest. |
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| Juan Cruz was activated from the disabled list after Wednesday's game. He's coming back from a triceps injury. |
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| Juan Cruz is slated to toss 35 pitches Tuesday in his second extended spring game appearance, according to the Arizona Republic. Manager Bob Melvin said Cruz likely will need one more appearance after that before being activated from the disabled list. Cruz, who is recovering from a strained muscle below the back of his right shoulder, could return to action later this week. |
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| Juan Cruz threw well enough in an extended spring training game on Saturday that he was cleared to head out on a rehab assignment, according to the Arizona Republic. Cruz is recovering from a strained muscle below the back of his right shoulder. |
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| Juan Cruz played catch from 75 feet on Wednesday, the AP reports. There's no timetable for him to return to action, however. Cruz is on the disabled list with a sore triceps muscle. |
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| Juan Cruz could begin playing catch today or Thursday, Bob Melvin told the Arizona Republic. Cruz is on the DL with a sore triceps muscle.
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| The Diamondbacks placed Juan Cruz on the 15-day DL on Saturday with a strained muscle below the back of his right shoulder, according to the AP. "It wasn't something where we could let it go for two or three days, let him play catch and see where he is," manager Bob Melvin said. "We had to make the move now." Cruz is expected to come back soon after his 15-day stint is up. |
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| Juan Cruz was cleared to pitch Monday after two days spent resting a muscle strain, the East Valley Tribune reports.
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| Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said the club should have a better idea today about whether Juan Cruz has a serious shoulder injury, according to the Arizona Republic. Cruz felt some discomfort below his right shoulder during Friday's game and received treatment on Saturday. |
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| Juan Cruz had some stiffness below his shoulder after throwing two innings Friday, the AP reports. He wasn't available for Saturday's game, though manager Bob Melvin said he was not concerned about Cruz. |
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| Juan Cruz probably won't get into the competition for the fifth starter job with the Diamondbacks this spring, according to the Arizona Republic. Manager Bob Melvin said he sees Cruz as a "troubleshooter" out of the bullpen. |
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| The D'Backs re-signed Juan Cruz to a one-year deal worth a little less than $1.44 million over the weekend. He held a 4.18 ERA in 31 games (15 starts) last year. He'll try to win a job in the rotation this spring. |
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| The East Valley Tribune reports that Juan Cruz was pulled from the rotation three weeks ago due to concerns about his right shoulder. "One of the reasons I did put him in the bullpen was because he was suffering, not some pain, but getting into a tired arm type of area," manager Bob Melvin said. "The longer we were running him out there, we felt that was going to crop up at some point." |
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| Juan Cruz will be moved to the bullpen in order to make room in the rotation for Livan Hernandez, according to the Arizona Republic. "We feel like we just don't have a long guy down there now," Melvin said of Cruz, "but a guy who can pitch any inning we feel the need to pitch him and a guy that can go in there and blow some people away." Cruz holds a 4.34 ERA in 23 games (14 starts) this year. |
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| By throwing 7 1/3 strong innings on Tuesday, Juan Cruz made his case to remain in the starting rotation. Cruz said it was the deepest into a game he's ever gone, but he's actually pitched 7 2/3 innings twice, once in 2003 and once in 2002. The Diamondbacks will pull either Cruz or Claudio Vargas from the rotation to make room for Livan Hernandez. |
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