NELSON CRUZ NEWS

Managing groin tightness Cruz was held out of Tuesday's blowout loss to Atlanta due to groin tightness, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact The veteran slugger was a late scratch Tuesday, and the reason for his absence wasn't revealed until after the contest. Cruz will be re-evaluated in the morning and should be considered day-to-day for now, leaving his availability for Wednesday's series finale up in the air.

APRIL 13, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Ozuna, Albies power Braves' offense in 16-4 rout of Nats

Marcell Ozuna homered twice, Ozzie Albies drove in three runs and the Atlanta Braves fired up their offense to rout the Washington Nationals 16-4

APRIL 13, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Late scratch Tuesday Cruz was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against Atlanta for unspecified reasons.

Impact Cruz was penciled in to bat third as the designated hitter but was removed from the lineup shortly before first pitch. The reason for the veteran slugger's absence is unclear, though his status should be updated by the team in the near future. Yadiel Hernandez will shift to designated hitter while Lane Thomas enters the lineup in left field.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Mashes 450th homer Cruz went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Impact The seemingly ageless Cruz took Carlos Carrasco deep for a solo shot in the first inning, his first homer and first RBI as a member of the Nationals and the 450th of his career. That total puts him third among active players behind Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, and 40th on MLB's all-time list. Cruz capped his big day with the game-winning hit, a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth. Next milestone up for the 41-year-old is his 1,250th career RBI, a figure he's only nine away from.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cruz's three RBIs lift Nationals past Mets to avert series sweep Nelson Cruz hit his 450th career home run and added a tiebreaking two-run single in a three-run eighth inning that lifted the Washington Nat...

APRIL 11, 2022 • ORLANDOSENTINEL.COM

Cruz homers, keys Nats over Mets 4-2 with 8th-inning hit

Nelson Cruz hit his 450th home run and added a tiebreaking two-run single in three-run eighth inning that lifted the Washington Nationals over the Mets 4-2 and prevented New York f...

APRIL 10, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hush! Alonso's 1st 'granny' helps Bassitt, Mets top Nats 5-0

Pete Alonso hit his first career grand slam, Chris Bassitt won his Mets debut and New York beat the Washington Nationals 5-0

APRIL 10, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mets beat Nats 5-1 in Showalter debut behind fill-in Megill

Mark Canha and Starling Marte drove in runs to back five shutout innings from Tylor Megill, and the New York Mets won manager Buck Showalter’s debut by beating the Washington Natio...

APRIL 8, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nats DH Cruz, other Clemente Award winners wear '21' on caps

Winners of the Roberto Clemente Award will wear his No. 21 on the back of their caps for the rest of their major league careers

APRIL 7, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

LEADING OFF: Opening day! Guardians debut, Ohtani and Braves

Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks is set to deliver the first pitch of the season against Corbin Burnes and Milwaukee at Wrigley Field just past 2:20 p.m. EDT, the first of seven games s...

APRIL 6, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Twins' opener vs Mariners delayed to Friday due to weather

The Minnesota Twins postponed their season opener against the Seattle Mariners by a day until Friday because of expected bad weather

APRIL 6, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Swats first spring homer Cruz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.

Impact The ageless slugger took Miles Mikolas deep in the fourth inning for his first homer of the spring. Cruz was hitting third Monday behind Juan Soto, a spot he should fill during the regular season and which should provide him with plenty of RBI opportunities.

APRIL 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nationals star Soto set for new second spot in batting order

To the Washington Nationals, too many games ended last season with star Juan Soto watching from the on-deck circle instead of swinging in the batter’s box

APRIL 3, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nelson Cruz gives Nationals a lift even without taking a swing In his 18th season, Washington's new slugger will bring veteran leadership to a young locker room.

APRIL 3, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Juan Soto's present, future mean most in 2022 for Nationals

No one matters as much for the Washington Nationals in 2022 and beyond than Juan Soto

MARCH 30, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Correa's arrival gives Twins whole new look and feel

The Minnesota Twins altered their outlook as much as any team since the end of the lockout

MARCH 30, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Free agent frenzy sends familiar faces to new places in MLB

Many familiar faces with impressive resumes are in new places following one of major league baseball’s wildest free agent frenzies

MARCH 24, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

MLB Free Agency Tracker: Story signs with Red Sox

MLB free agency is back! Stay up-to-date with the latest moves, including Trevor Story to the Red Sox.

MARCH 21, 2022

Nelson Cruz — DH, mentor, nap guy — has arrived with the Nationals Cruz's arrival at Nationals camp sparked excitement around the team facility.

MARCH 17, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Nats new bopper Cruz makes immediate impact with pitcher tip

The Washington Nationals signed 41-year-old slugger Nelson Cruz to be their designated hitter, now that the National League will have a DH on a full-time basis

MARCH 17, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Juan Soto is really happy Nelson Cruz will join the Nationals. So is Dave Martinez. The star outfielder and his manager raved about the Nationals' new designated hitter — pending a physical, of course.

MARCH 15, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Signs one-year deal with Nationals Cruz signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Nationals on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Impact Cruz was in talks with several teams in free agency, and he'll ultimately join the Nationals, where he'll benefit from the universal designated hitter in 2022. The 41-year-old played in 140 games between the Twins and Rays last year and slashed .265/.334/.497 with 32 home runs, 86 RBI and 79 runs. He's hit 30-plus homers in each of the last seven full seasons and will attempt to translate his success to the National League. Cruz's deal includes a mutual option for the 2023 campaign.

MARCH 14, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Frenzy Part II? What to expect when MLB roster freeze lifts

There are 141 major league free agents waiting for a freeze on roster transactions to lift once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached

DECEMBER 8, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Correa, Freeman, Scherzer among baseball's top free agents

With a possible lockout on the horizon, it’s been mostly business as usual on the free agent market — so far

NOVEMBER 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

The lowdown on FA DH Nelson Cruz One of this generation's great power hitters is a free agent, after a midseason trade took him from the struggling Twins to the division cha...

NOVEMBER 21, 2021 • MLB.COM