NELSON CRUZ NEWS

Dealing with quad issue Cruz is out of the lineup Saturday against Atlanta due to a quadriceps injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact 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.

JULY 16, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Saturday Cruz isn't starting Saturday's game against Atlanta.

Impact 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.

JULY 16, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Swipes base in loss Cruz went 1-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI in a 5-4 loss Thursday against Atlanta.

Impact 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 but was left stranded. He has hit safely in five straight appearances, going 6-for-20 with two walks in that span.

JULY 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nelson Cruz on New York Mets' Radar, Why They Should Go Different Route Nelson Cruz is on the New York Mets’ radar, but here’s why they should target a different slugger.

JULY 8, 2022 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Re-enters lineup Cruz (illness) will serve as the Nationals' designated hitter and cleanup batter in Thursday's game in Philadelphia, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact 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.

JULY 7, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Remains out of lineup Cruz isn't starting Wednesday against the Phillies due to a stomach-related illness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact 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.

JULY 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Schwarber homers twice in Phillies' 11-0 romp past Nationals

Kyle Schwarber homered twice, running his NL-best total to 25, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Nationals 11-0

JULY 6, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Late scratch Tuesday Cruz was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Phillies for undisclosed reasons, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact 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.

JULY 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Drives in one, scores twice Cruz went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs scored Wednesday against the Pirates.

Impact 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.

JUNE 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Three-RBI game Cruz went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored in a 6-4 win over the Rangers on Sunday.

Impact The veteran slugger continues to swing a hot bat. This time he came up big with runners in scoring position, hitting two singles to plate three runs. Cruz now has hits in five of his past six games and has produced 43 RBI on the season.

JUNE 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Homers, picks up 40th RBI Cruz went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers on Saturday.

Impact After getting off to a very slow start this season by batting .155 in April, Cruz is steadily producing out of Nationals' cleanup spot. With his game-tying home run in the sixth, Cruz now has eight home runs and 40 RBI on the season. If Cruz can stay healthy and continue slugging at the .500 clip he has so far in June, he could find himself approaching the 100 RBI mark by season's end.

JUNE 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nelson Cruz is heating up just in time for the MLB trade deadline “I try to not think about it,” Cruz says about the possibility of being traded. “I signed to be with this team and that’s my goal."

JUNE 17, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Steals second bag Cruz went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Sunday's loss to the Brewers.

Impact There's still a little juice left in Cruz's 41-year-old legs, as he stole his second bag of the year in the third inning off the battery of Jason Alexander and Omar Narvaez. Cruz's bat has also come to life lately, and over his last eight starts he's batting .469 (15-for-32) with three homers and eight RBI.

JUNE 13, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nationals play the Brewers after Cruz's 4-hit game

The Washington Nationals take on the Milwaukee Brewers after Nelson Cruz's four-hit game on Friday

JUNE 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Racks up four hits in return Cruz went 4-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs in Friday's 11-5 win over the Brewers.

Impact After missing Thursday's loss to Miami due to back tightness, Cruz returned to the lineup Friday and posted his first four-hit game of the season. The 41-year-old has three multi-hit performances over the last seven matchups, and he's hit .414 with two homers, five runs and five RBI during that time.

JUNE 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Returns to lineup Cruz (back) is starting Friday against the Brewers.

Impact Cruz was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to back tightness, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup during Friday's series opener against Milwaukee. Over his last five games, the 41-year-old has hit .400 with a homer, a double, three RBI and two runs.

JUNE 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Dealing with back tightness Cruz was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Marlins due to back tightness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Cruz was originally scratched for undisclosed reasons. The severity of the issue is not yet known, though manager Davey Martinez said that Cruz is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday. Yadiel Hernandez took over as the designated hitter, and Lane Thomas would also likely benefit if Cruz is out for an extended amount of time.

JUNE 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nats' Strasburg allows Marlins 7 runs in 1st start in year

Jazz Chisholm bunted for a single on the first pitch of Stephen Strasburg’s return from a one-year absence, stole second and the Marlins kept on going in a 7-4 win over the Washing...

JUNE 10, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Late scratch Thursday Cruz was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the Marlins for an undisclosed reason.

Impact While a reason for Cruz's scratch wasn't given, he was removed from the lineup several minutes before the start of the game. Yadiel Hernandez will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth.

JUNE 9, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Thomas hits 3 HRs, Nats go deep 5 times in 8-5 win over Reds

Lane Thomas had a three-homer game for the first time in his career, and Nelson Cruz and Juan Soto also went deep, leading the Washington Nationals to an 8-5 win over the Cincinnat...

JUNE 4, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Three walks in loss Cruz (ankle) went 0-for-1 with three walks in Wednesday's 5-0 loss to the Mets.

Impact Cruz missed one game after being hit by a pitch above his left ankle Monday. The designated hitter wasn't able to get a hit against Carlos Carrasco and three Mets relievers, but the three walks were a season high for Cruz. The 41-year-old is up to an 11.3 percent walk rate this year. He's added a .235/.325/.341 slash line with four home runs, 27 RBI, 23 runs scored, six doubles and a stolen base through 47 contests.

JUNE 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Returns to lineup Cruz (ankle) is starting Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Impact Cruz was held out of Tuesday's lineup after he was hit by a pitch above his left ankle Monday, but he'll serve as the designated hitter and bat third during Wednesday's matchup. The 41-year-old has recorded hits in 10 of his last 11 games, and he's hit .432 with five doubles, seven RBI, six runs and a stolen base during that time.

JUNE 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not starting Tuesday Cruz (ankle) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact The veteran slugger sustained a bruise above his left ankle when he was hit by a pitch during Monday's contest, and he'll be held out of the starting nine for at least one game. It's unclear whether Cruz will be available off the bench, but he should be considered day-to-day until his status is updated.

MAY 31, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Comes up big in twin bill Cruz went 3-for-7 with two doubles, two walks, three RBI and two runs between both ends of Saturday's doubleheader with the Rockies.

Impact Cruz has now gone 16 consecutive games without a home run, but the veteran slugger is at least slashing an impressive .364/.417/.455 with 10 RBI, seven runs and a stolen base during the ongoing long-ball drought. He'll be back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale with Colorado, serving as Washington's designated hitter and No. 4 batter.

MAY 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Trea Turner’s return to D.C. put blockbuster 2021 trade into focus

With Trea Turner's Dodgers in D.C. this week, Jordan Shusterman reports on the key players in last year's blockbuster trade.

MAY 26, 2022