Nelson Cruz Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 2" / 230 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 7/1/1980 (42)
- Experience
- 15
- College
- None
Nelson Cruz Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Nelson Cruz News
Washington Nationals designated hitter Nelson Cruz (eye) remains out of the starting lineup on Friday against the Miami Marlins. Cruz is limping to the finish line in 2022 and hasn't played in the last eight games due to left eye inflammation. Fantasy managers should consider the aging slugger to be day-to-day. The 42-year-old Dominican DH is hitting just .234/.313/.337 with 10 home runs, 64 RBI, 50 runs scored and four stolen bases in his 448 at-bats in D.C. this year. Luke Voit is the DH again on Friday and is hitting cleanup against Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett. Voit has actually been better against right-handed pitching this year, and he's hitting .169 (23-for-136) with only two of his 21 home runs against southpaws.
Washington Nationals designated hitter Nelson Cruz (eye) remains out of the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. Cruz is dealing with left eye inflammation and will miss his seventh straight game. The good news is the 42-year-old isn't expected to land on the injured list, so fantasy managers must continue to consider him day-to-day. Luke Voit is once again serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat cleanup against Braves right-hander Bryce Elder on Wednesday. In 39 games since being acquired from the San Diego Padres at the Aug. 2 trade deadline, Voit is hitting .264/.345/.439 with eight home runs, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored. He's been even better in September, going 22-for-70 (.314) with three homers, seven RBI and six runs scored in 18 games.
Washington Nationals designated hitter Nelson Cruz (eye) was diagnosed with left eye inflammation by an eye specialist after he experienced blurry vision during the Sept. 13 game against the Baltimore Orioles. He was given eye drops. "He's better," manager Dave Martinez said about Cruz. "The drops are working. It's very slow, but he said he feels better today. He's actually going to go out and take some batting practice today and see how well he can see the ball. It's good news, so hopefully we can get him back here in a few days." The 42-year-old slugger was out again on Monday against the Atlanta Braves and isn't a lock to return to the lineup on Tuesday. Cruz has played in only eight games so far in September and has gone 7-for-28 (.250) with no homers, one RBI and four runs scored.
Batting Order
| 1 | Lane Thomas |
| 2 | CJ Abrams |
| 3 | Joey Meneses |
| 4 | Luke Voit |
| 5 | Alex Call |
| 6 | Ildemaro Vargas |
| 7 | Luis García |
| 8 | Victor Robles |
| 9 | Riley Adams |
Nelson Cruz Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
| 1 | Lane Thomas |
| 2 | CJ Abrams |
| 3 | Joey Meneses |
| 4 | Luke Voit |
| 5 | Alex Call |
| 6 | Ildemaro Vargas |
| 7 | Luis García |
| 8 | Victor Robles |
| 9 | Riley Adams |
Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was his usual, reliable self last season providing fantasy managers plenty of power in the shortened campaign. The 40-year-old's name littered MLB batting leaderboards as he was top-10 in baseball in OPS (.992), wOBA (.441), and wRC (164). That translated into 16 homers and 33 RBI as Cruz continued to be a fantasy asset despite DH-only eligibility. A look at Cruz's advanced metrics shows no sign of decline in his advanced age. Cruz's 15-percent barrel rate was top-seventh percentile in baseball, yet was still a drop from the league-leading 19.9-percent mark he put up in 2019. His 93 MPH average exit velocity over the last two seasons is elite and justifies his absurd .624 slugging percentage in that span. Omitting 2020, Cruz has at least 37 homers in every season since 2014 and cleared the 100 RBI mark four times. His role as an everyday DH has clearly helped fend off Father Time as Cruz has been a staple in a loaded Twins lineup. He re-signed in Minnesota for the 2021 season and will bat third or fourth for a lineup that will provide plenty of run and RBI opportunities. DH-only eligibility hurts his fantasy stock a little, but that is baked into his average draft position of 98th overall. Draft Cruz with confidence as a four-category contributor.
