Yankees Bullpen Takes a Hit as Cruz Lands on IL; Hartlieb Called Up
The Yankees announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of right-handed reliever Geoff Hartlieb and placed fellow righty Fernando Cruz on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain. To make room on the 40-man roster, infielder CJ Alexander was designated for assignment.
Hartlieb’s Return to the Majors
Hartlieb, 31, is a well-traveled veteran who now joins his fifth MLB team in seven years. A former Pirates draft pick, he debuted with Pittsburgh in 2019 and has since logged innings with the Mets, Rockies, and Marlins. In 79 1/3 big league innings, Hartlieb has struggled with a 7.37 ERA, but he’s been a bright spot in Triple-A Scranton this season.
Across 35 innings with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Hartlieb has posted a solid 3.34 ERA, paired with a 26.2% strikeout rate and just a 6.9% walk rate. The Yankees have ramped up his use of the slider — now throwing it over 53% of the time, a career-high and a big jump from the 45% mark he set in 2020. His swing-and-miss stuff has improved dramatically, evidenced by a stellar 17.2% swinging-strike rate, among the best in Triple-A.
While that figure may not fully translate to the majors, it would currently rank top 10 among the 310 MLB pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched.
Tough Blow: Cruz Hits the IL
Losing Fernando Cruz is a major setback for Aaron Boone’s bullpen. Acquired from the Reds in the Jose Trevino trade, Cruz has been electric in pinstripes. The 35-year-old owns a 3.00 ERA and an eye-popping 41.2% strikeout rate, balanced against a 10.7% walk rate.
Though his average fastball velocity sits at just 93.8 mph, Cruz has leaned heavily on his devastating splitter in 2025. Opponents are hitting just .136 and slugging a mere .222 against it. He’s ended 86 plate appearances with the splitter — and 48 of those (55.8%) have ended in strikeouts.
Alexander DFA’d
Infielder CJ Alexander, 28, was claimed off waivers from the A’s earlier this month but never appeared in a game for New York. He hit just .196/.302/.196 in 53 Triple-A plate appearances with the Yankees, a sharp drop from the .252/.348/.509 slash line he posted with Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the year.
Alexander has four hits in 25 career MLB plate appearances between stints with the Royals and A’s, and is a lifetime .260/.329/.486 hitter across parts of three Triple-A seasons.
The Yankees will have up to seven days to trade or place Alexander on waivers, with resolution likely by next week due to standard 48-hour waiver procedures.