Yovanny Cruz’s latest call-up was deadly serious.
With the Yankees still searching for solutions to solidify their bullpen, Cruz received his second call-up of the season Tuesday — though the righty reliever initially thought he was being pranked.
“Yeah, very grateful to be back. Obviously, it’s a great opportunity to be up here,” he told The Post through a translator. “I was just in my room last night, and I got the call — I thought it was the guys playing a joke on me. But obviously it was the manager telling me I was going to the big leagues again.”
For Cruz, 26, this will be another audition to stake a spot on the Yankees’ pitching staff after a promising couple of performances in the spring.
After being brought up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Cruz made his MLB debut May 20 against Toronto and pitched 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings across two games. In a larger sample size in SWB, he produced a 3.18 ERA in 24 appearances. Cruz could prove to be an asset for the Pinstripes with his ability to top 100 mph.
The next step is his command.
“It’s something that gave me a little bit of trouble last year, and I think commanding the strike zone has improved much more this year,” he said.
Aside from his rapid fastball, Cruz is also armed with a slider that can reach 90 mph. At the same time, he’s walked 4.1 batters per nine innings in Triple-A and knows he will have to clean things up in the big leagues.
“Besides the velo, to be effective up here, you just gotta be able to use all of your pitches and command very well the strike zone,” he said.
Cruz’s most recent call-up coincided with Yerry De los Santos being optioned back to Triple-A and comes as the Yankees have lost five consecutive games.
Though the bullpen is considered a relative strength, the Yankees could be in the market for relief help ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline.
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Cruz spent eight years in the minors and played in the Cubs, Padres and Red Sox organizations before getting his shot with the Yankees. He would certainly love to stick around and provide general manager Brian Cashman with an internal solution.
“Seeing how close-knit the group is here, definitely feels like a family, like a team,” he said.