July 11, 2023
The San Diego Padres officially released veteran designated hitter
Nelson Cruz on Monday after they designated him for assignment last week. The Padres move to designate Cruz came as a surprise to many. The 43-year-old seven-time All-Star was hitting .245 (35-for-143) at the time with five home runs, five doubles, a triple, 23 RBI and nine runs scored in 49 games as a part-time designated hitter for the Friars, but he also wasn't an option at all defensively and had been striking out 30.3 percent of the time. The Boomstick began to show signs of sharp decline last year with the Washington Nationals, and this may be the end of the line for a player that had a Hall of Fame career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
July 4, 2023
The San Diego Padres designated veteran designated hitter
Nelson Cruz for assignment on Tuesday. It comes as a bit of a surprise after Cruz had been serving as a pretty regular designated hitter for the Friars while mostly facing left-handed pitching. The 43-year-old Dominican is obviously past his prime and at the tail end of his illustrious major-league career, but he was holding his own with a .245 average (35-for-143) with five home runs, five doubles, a triple and 23 RBI in 49 games played. The Padres are looking to change things up as they head into the All-Star break of a very disappointing first half of the season. With Cruz out of the picture now,
Rougned Odor should see an increase in playing time moving forward.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Padres Twitter
June 7, 2023
San Diego Padres designated hitter
Nelson Cruz (hamstring) is starting his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. The seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but he's clearly close to the end and is hitting .238 (25-for-105) with four doubles, one triple, only three home runs, 16 RBI and 36 strikeouts (four walks) in 36 games in his first year in San Diego in 2023. The Boomstick is recovering from a right-hamstring strain, but he could come off the 10-day injured list when he's eligible this weekend, barring a setback with the Chihuahuas. Cruz has mostly been splitting DH duties for the Friars with the left-handed hitting
Matt Carpenter.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: El Paso Chihuahuas on Twitter
June 2, 2023
San Diego Padres designated hitter
Nelson Cruz (hamstring) had some hamstring soreness after running out a grounder in Wednesday's loss to the Miami Marlins. Cruz wasn't in the starting lineup against a left-hander for the series finale on Thursday, and now we know why. But the 42-year-old veteran slugger just hasn't been very good at the plate this year, either, hitting just .238 (25-for-105) with four doubles, a triple, three home runs, 16 RBI and seven runs scored in 36 games played. He was even worse in May, going 5-for-39 (.128) with no homers or RBI and 16 strikeouts in 17 games. Don't be surprised if Cruz remains out of the starting lineup on Friday at home against the Chicago Cubs.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
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