NEW YORK — The Yankees have a bullpen problem past their top five arms. Jake Bird, Yerry De los Santos and Angel Chivilli have all struggled in the middle innings. The revolving door keeps spinning. Someone new needs to step through it.
According to Athletic’s Chris Kirschner, that someone might be a Yankees minor leaguer named Yovanny Cruz. The 100 mph right-hander has been dominant in the minors to start 2026, and Kirschner flagged him as a potential Yankees call-up option as the bullpen depth issue grows more pressing.
Who is Yovanny Cruz and why is he turning heads
He is not a new name to the Yankees. The club signed Yovanny Cruz to a minor league deal last November after he cycled through the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres systems without sticking. Command was the central issue. In 2024, pitching for Boston’s Double-A affiliate, he struck out 72 batters in 59.1 innings. He also walked 44. The stuff was clearly there. The control was not.
Something changed in 2026. Cruz is pitching in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the walks have nearly vanished. In 7.1 innings he is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA, 11 strikeouts and just two walks. That is a dramatic shift from his prior profile.
The velocity is not the concern. It never was. Cruz’s fastball averages 100.6 mph. It tops out at 101.5 mph. That kind of heat, paired with suddenly improved command, is exactly what the Yankees bullpen needs more of.
Kirschner noted what the Yankees believe Cruz brings and the condition that needs to be met first, writing:
“Yovanny Cruz, who impressed Yankees brass in spring training, has pitched well in the minors. Like Lagrange, he has an overpowering fastball and strikeout stuff. He could become an option at some point. But the Yankees need their starters to pitch deeper into games so they aren’t forced to use some of their depth bullpen arms.”
The bullpen gap that makes Cruz relevant right now
The top of the Yankees bullpen has held up reasonably well. David Bednar has five saves. Brent Headrick leads MLB in reliever appearances. Tim Hill and Fernando Cruz have been steady. Camilo Doval has been hit and miss, posting a 7.36 ERA despite limiting walks.
The problem starts the moment those five are unavailable or overworked. Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough cannot be trusted in situations where the game is on the line. Jake Bird was optioned to the minors this week. De los Santos and Chivilli have rotated in and produced little.
Brent Headrick’s appearance count is a warning sign by itself. When a lefty specialist is leading the entire league in relief appearances three weeks into the season, the workload distribution is off. The Yankees cannot keep leaning on the same five arms.
Aaron Boone was asked about the state of the bullpen’s depth and did not deny the gap exists. His message was more of an open call for someone to step forward.
“There’s opportunity for these guys to continue to grab roles,” Boone said. “Hopefully, some real key people emerge for us.”
Pitching coach Matt Blake acknowledged in spring training that building a reliable bullpen is never a straightforward process. His take was candid and reflected the gamble every club takes with relievers.
“It’s a volatile market in general,” Blake said. “You see a lot of teams that spend high dollars on relievers, and it doesn’t always pan out. You can find some under-the-radar guys with good stuff that haven’t gotten opportunities, or maybe you change something about the way they’ve been operating, and you catch lightning in a bottle.”
Cruz looks like exactly the kind of Yankees arm that phrase was made for.
The timing and what has to happen first
Cruz is an option whenever the Yankees need him. The only qualifier in Kirschner’s assessment is that the Yankees need their starters to go deeper into games before the back-end arms are exposed.
That may not always be in the Yankees’ control. Cam Schlittler is working on a pitch count limit as he builds back up from spring back trouble. Gerrit Cole threw his first rehab start Friday at Double-A Somerset. Carlos Rodon is weeks away. The rotation is doing its part when healthy, but the Yankees may not always have the depth to protect a thin bullpen.
If that gap remains visible, Cruz is the internal option with the most upside. The fastball alone gives him a chance to retire major league hitters. If the command improvements he has shown in 7.1 Triple-A innings are real, the Yankees have something.
The Yankees signed him for a reason. Spring training confirmed the interest. The early minor league numbers provided the follow-through. Kirschner’s report suggests the front office has not stopped watching.
What do you think? When will he get the call?
