Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that could require Tommy John surgery, manager Aaron Boone announced after the team's 9-3 win over the Houston Astros. Cruz was placed on the injured list Wednesday and diagnosed after an MRI. Boone said Cruz will seek treatment opinions, with the Tommy John procedure among the options.

Even without surgery, Cruz could miss the rest of the season. "We'll get other opinions, but that's certainly on the table," Boone said. The injury follows a rough outing Tuesday where Cruz allowed two runs against the Astros. Since July 19, he has surrendered nine earned runs over 13⅔ innings, a sharp decline from his earlier 2.20 ERA over 45 games.

Cruz felt healthy after Tuesday's appearance, but concerns over his diminished splitter velocity led to the MRI. His splitter, once a signature pitch, has lacked sharpness recently, highlighted by Jeremy Peña's 91 mph fastball home run—down from Cruz's 93.1 mph season average. Drafted as a position player in 2007, Cruz transitioned to pitching in 2011 and debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022.

He is in his second season with New York after being acquired from Cincinnati in December 2024. Last year, he posted a 3.56 ERA in 48 innings over 49 appearances. This season, he holds a 3.13 ERA in 54⅔ innings across 61 games.