Yankees bring Cruz up for bullpen help

Cruz struggled in his first few appearances with the Nationals after coming from the Yankees at the trade deadline, but he has pitched to a 2.57 ERA and a 7/5 K/BB in seven appearances at Triple-A Rochester. The command will be a big key in him becoming a more effective reliever.

Cruz earns a ticket back to the minors after allowing five runs over four innings of work since coming over from the Yankees at the trade deadline earlier this month. The 26-year-old has the look and feel of a high-leverage arm, but he’s not quite there yet.

Cruz is going to join the Nationals’ bullpen, with the other four players acquired going to the minors. The 26-year-old right-hander has shown intriguing stuff in his limited time in the majors, with a 1.69 ERA in 5 1/3 innings. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he was immediately a high-leverage option for the Nationals. He’s worth a flyer for anyone looking for saves over the final seven weeks.

The Yankees will be send the Nationals four pitchers in exchange for Garcia according to Spencer Nusbaum of the Washington Post: right-handers Ben Grable, Yovanny Cruz, Jack Cebert, and Jake Bird. The 26-year-old has had a breakout season in 2026 with 23 homers and an .873 OPS over 374 plate appearances, and gives the Yankees a needed boost to their lineup. He’s played exclusively first base in 2026, but he’s played both second base and shortstop at times with the Nationals. It seems more likely that he’ll be lining up at the cold corner than those positions up the middle with New York.

Cruz takes Camilo Doval’s spot on the roster and in the pen. He’s pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings with a 6/0 K/BB during his time with the Yankees this season.

Cruz returns to the minors after tossing a pair of scoreless innings during Tuesday’s loss to the Tigers. The 26-year-old has put up some impressive numbers at the Triple-A level and has reeled off 4 1/3 shutout frames with the Yankees. He’ll be back in a couple weeks.