Yankees setup man Fernando Cruz has a partially torn UCL, manager Aaron Boone told reporters after tonight’s win over the Astros (reported by The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty). The right-hander is seeking additional opinions as he evaluates whether he will need surgery. In any case, it’s hard to imagine Cruz pitching again this season. The surgery will also most likely rule him out for all of 2027. That would certainly be true if he needs a full Tommy John reconstruction. If the partial tear allows him to go the internal reinforcement route, he would have a slim chance of returning in September of ’27. Cruz has been New York’s main right setup arm all season. Only closer David Bednar has reached higher leverage positions on average. Cruz’s 19 grabs place him second on the club behind left-hander Brent Headrick. I had only wasted three leads coming into August. Cruz clearly hasn’t been right lately, giving up three leads and allowing six runs and eight hits (including four home runs) in eight innings this month. Cruz, 36, entered August with a 2.51 ERA and 29% strikeout rate. He still has a solid 3.13 ERA despite his recent shaky form. Rivals have had no luck against their elite divider. They have had much more success against his fastball, which is averaging 93 mph after being in the 94-95 range in previous seasons. Cruz’s injury is a blow to one of the best bullpens in baseball. Only the Red Sox have a reliever ERA lower than New York’s 3.06 mark. The Yankees are middle of the pack in strikeout rate, but again have one of the highest-hitting relief groups in the game. Cruz, Bednar and Headrick are their only swing-and-miss big arms. The Yankees opted not to make any moves with the pitching staff before the deadline, prioritizing an offense that has really struggled since Aaron Judge’s injury. They’ve seen Max Fried, Ryan Weathers and Cruz land on the injured list in the last two weeks. Fried could return this weekend, but Weathers has a longer schedule after suffering a forearm strain. New York could use Weathers as a reliever if he returns before the end of the season. He would pair with Headrick as a high-octane tandem from the left side. Paul Blackburn now looks like their best matchup right-arm, while recent signings Michael Fulmer and Justin Topa could quickly find themselves in significant places. Fried’s return should knock Elmer Rodriguez out of the rotation, but he could compete for a spot in the playoff bullpen. Clarke Schmidt is approaching a minor league rehab assignment and said this week that he hopes to return as a reliever (link via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch).
