The New York Yankees entered their weekend series in San Diego with a mix of lingering injury questions and a few encouraging developments.
Manager Aaron Boone addressed reporters Friday and delivered one of the more notable updates of the day: right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz, the 36-year-old who landed on the injured list late last month with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, will begin a throwing program in the coming days, via Greg Joyce of The New York Post.
Cruz first went on the IL on August 26. A partial UCL tear often ends a pitcher’s season and frequently leads to Tommy John surgery, a procedure that typically costs a player the rest of the current year and most or all of the next one.
For a veteran already in his mid-30s, that timeline would have been especially costly. Instead, Cruz has chosen a conservative approach for now. Boone said the pitcher has been feeling better and that the club wants to see how the elbow responds once he starts throwing again.
A return before the end of the regular season is not being ruled out, but Boone made clear there are no guarantees. Surgery remains a possible option later if the conservative plan does not hold.
The cautious optimism arrives at a useful moment for a Yankees club that has spent much of the year managing absences. New York sits at 80-60, three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. If the standings held through the final weeks, the Yankees would host the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three Wild Card series at Yankee Stadium.
Depth in the bullpen matters in that kind of race, and Cruz had been a useful piece before the injury. Whether he can actually contribute again in September or October remains an open question that will be answered only after he progresses through the throwing program.
UCL injuries have become a familiar part of the modern pitching landscape, and teams have grown more willing to try rest and rehabilitation before committing to reconstruction. The success of that route varies widely from player to player.
Cruz’s age and the fact that the tear is described as partial rather than complete both factor into the decision. The Yankees will monitor how the elbow feels after each session and decide next steps accordingly.
For now the update is modest but welcome. Boone also spoke Friday about Aaron Judge and Ryan Weathers, two other key names on the injury list. The Cruz news, however, stands out because it leaves open a door that many assumed had already closed.
The Yankees still have work to do if they want to catch Tampa Bay or lock down home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Having one more experienced arm potentially available would help.
Whether that arm belongs to Fernando Cruz will depend on how his elbow responds over the next week or two.
