Yankees look to bring back Fernando Cruz in August

Before the start of the game, New York Yankees coach Aaron Boone made a statement to the media about the current health status of some players. Among them is 29-year-old Fernando Cruz, whose return could bring new strength to the team. Boone pointed out that the right-handed pitcher could play again as early as August, but the precise date is not yet known.

Earlier this summer, Cruz suffered a severe abdominal muscle injury, which dealt another blow to the Yankees as they lost one of their best pitchers in the bullpen. This loss was felt, as they failed to find a worthy replacement.

Hopes for August and the state of the bullpen

This season, the Yankees have an average of 4.08 runs allowed, which is not very good. However, the hope that the 29-year-old pitcher will return brings optimism. With a 3.00 ERA and an impressive 41.2% strikeout rate, Cruz was arguably the best reliever this season, and everyone is hoping for his return.

The team boss said frankly: "Fernando is important for us and I believe he will help us a lot as soon as he returns."

The Yankees' bullpen is not at its best. Since the start of June, their relievers have collectively been negative, with an fWAR of -0.4, an ERA of 5.68 and a FIP of 5.55. Devin Williams, a 26-year-old pitcher, excels with just a 1.84 ERA and no home runs allowed, but the second most important pitcher statistically is Cruz, who has played just 11 games.

Unfortunately, Luke Weaver (with an average of 8.64), Jonathan Loaisiga (6.11) and Mark Leiter Jr. (6.30) were expected as the main carriers, but they were quite ineffective.

"We are aware that our bullpen is currently weak, but we are working to strengthen it. We expect additional players in the coming period," said Boone.

The Yankees are expected to hire more pitchers by the transfer deadline this year, and in the coming week they will put a special strain on the bullpen because tonight they play the so-called bullpen game, and they have six games to go.

Top prospect Cam Schlittler, 22, felt pain in his bicep, so he had an MRI. Fortunately, the recording did not show any serious problems, but they decided to save it from too much effort.

"We don't want to risk worsening the injury, that's why we decided to postpone it," the club said.

After the recent All-Star event in Atlanta, the city will now host the Yankees for a three-game weekend series, beginning tonight at 7:15 PM ET.