Cruz is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com.
Cruz reached base three times in Saturday's game, but the veteran will get a chance to rest one day later. Luke Voit will serve as Washington's designated hitter Sunday.
Cruz (shoulder) is starting at designated hitter and batting third in Friday's series opener versus the Padres.
Cruz is ready to go Friday after missing Wednesday's loss to the Cubs with right shoulder soreness. The 42-year-old is currently in the middle of a power drought, failing to hit a homer over 112 at-bats in his last 33 games.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Not starting Wednesday
Rotowire
Cruz (shoulder) isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Cubs, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Cruz exited Tuesday's win over the Cubs due to posterior right shoulder soreness and will be held out of the lineup a day later. It's not yet clear whether the 42-year-old will be available off the bench Wednesday, but Luke Voit will serve as the designated hitter while Joey Meneses starts at first base.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Exits with shoulder soreness
Rotowire
Cruz was removed from Tuesday's win over the Cubs with posterior right shoulder soreness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The veteran slugger went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before being lifted for a pinch hitter during the fifth inning. Cruz missed three games with neck stiffness last week and is now dealing with a shoulder injury. The 42-year-old should be considered day-to-day heading into Wednesday's series finale in Chicago.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Returns to lineup
Rotowire
Cruz (neck) is back in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies.
Neck stiffness cost Cruz a few starts, but he will return to the cleanup spot to face left-hander Ranger Suarez. Now 42 years old, Cruz's numbers have taken a dramatic turn for the worse. He's batting just .229/.333/.358 with the platoon edge this season.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Still sitting Friday
Rotowire
Cruz (neck) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies, Bobby Blanco of MASN Nationals reports.
Cruz will take a seat for the third consecutive game as he continues to deal with neck stiffness. Luke Voit will serve as the designated hitter while Joey Meneses receives a start at first base.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Sitting due to stiff neck
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies due to a stiff neck, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Though Cruz stayed put in Washington in the aftermath of Tuesday's trade deadline, he could be a candidate to see a downsized role in the final two months of the season while the 36-70 team looks to prioritize playing time for younger options. While Cruz was held out of Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the Mets in what was believed to be a maintenance day, the stiff neck explains why the 42-year-old is on the bench for a second straight contest Thursday. Yadiel Hernandez will get a turn as Washington's designated hitter in his stead, and though Cruz may still see his opportunities decrease down the stretch, he'll still be the top option on the depth chart once he moves past the neck issue.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Resting Wednesday
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Cruz wasn't moved ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, but he'll take a seat for the day game after the night game while the Nationals deploy Yadiel Hernandez as their designated hitter. Though Cruz will likely handle a near-everyday role down the stretch for Washington, he could receive more frequent off days as the 36-69 Nationals make finding playing time more of a priority for some of their younger options.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Not starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Cruz is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Dodgers,
Cruz has gone 0-for-14 over his last four games, so he will get a mental break Tuesday. Yadiel Hernandez will serve as Washington's designated hitter, and Lane Thomas will take Hernandez's place in the outfield.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Ready to go for second half
Rotowire
Cruz (quadriceps) is starting at designated hitter and batting fifth Friday versus the Diamondbacks.
Cruz is back in the lineup after he missed the final two games before the All-Star break with a quadriceps issue. The 42-year-old currently owns a six-game hit streak, going 7-for-22 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and a stolen base over that stretch.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Hit streak ends Friday
Rotowire
Cruz (quadriceps) went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Friday's 10-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.
The Nationals put only four runners on base Friday, and Cruz was not one of them. Prior to a two-game absence with the quad injury, the designated hitter had a six-game hitting streak. The poor return to action dropped his season slash line to .239/.320/.357 with eight home runs, 48 RBI, 39 runs scored and three stolen bases in 85 contests.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Not available for series finale
Rotowire
Cruz (quadriceps) remains out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
The Nationals will have Cruz sit out for a second straight game to close out the team's first-half schedule while he contends with a quadriceps injury. Maikel Franco will step in as Washington's designated hitter in place of Cruz, who will likely be ready to play coming out of the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Dealing with quad issue
Rotowire
Cruz is out of the lineup Saturday against Atlanta due to a quadriceps injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Cruz is taking a seat while riding a six-game hitting streak, and it's not yet clear whether he'll be available off the bench. If the 42-year-old is still feeling sore Sunday, manager Dave Martinez said that Cruz might receive an MRI to determine the extent of the issue.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Takes seat Saturday
Rotowire
Cruz isn't starting Saturday's game against Atlanta.
Cruz is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak in which he's hit .318 with a double, two RBI, a run and a stolen base. He'll get a breather while Keibert Ruiz serves as the designated hitter with Tres Barrera starting at catcher.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Swipes base in loss
Rotowire
Cruz went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI in a 5-4 loss Thursday against Atlanta.
After grounding out in his first three plate appearances, Cruz punched a ball against the shift and into right field to drive in a run in the seventh. The 41-year-old later stole second base, his third theft of the year, but was left stranded. He has hit safely in five straight appearances, going 6-for-20 with two walks in that span.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Re-enters lineup
Rotowire
Cruz (illness) will serve as the Nationals' designated hitter and cleanup batter in Thursday's game in Philadelphia, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
After sitting out two straight games with a stomach-related ailment, Cruz apparently showed enough improvement overnight to re-enter the lineup for the series finale with the Phillies. Juan Soto, who was eased back from a two-game absence due to a calf injury as Washington's DH in Wednesday's 3-2 win, will return to his normal spot in right field Thursday to open up a spot for Cruz.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Remains out of lineup
Rotowire
Cruz isn't starting Wednesday against the Phillies due to a stomach-related illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Cruz was scratched ahead of Tuesday's contest after feeling under the weather and will now sit out a second consecutive game. Juan Soto (calf) is returning to the lineup as the designated hitter and will serve as Cruz's replacement, while Lane Thomas starts in right field in Soto's stead.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Late scratch Tuesday
Rotowire
Cruz was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Phillies for undisclosed reasons, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Cruz was penciled in to bat third as the designated hitter, but he was absent from the revised lineup that Washington released just before first pitch. Yadiel Hernandez was originally set to sit Tuesday but will instead start in left field.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Nelson Cruz: Drives in one, scores twice
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs scored Wednesday against the Pirates.
Cruz drove in his run with a single in the first inning and has delivered nine RBI across his last nine starts. Despite the strong counting stat production, he has maintained just a .166 average across his last 15 games. Overall, Cruz has a .249/.333/.385 line across 302 plate appearances on the season.
... See More... See Less
Player Bio
HT/WT: 6-2, 230 lbs
Birthplace: Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Dominican Republic
