Nelson Cruz RUMORS & NEWS

Dallas Morning News "There are times when Nelson Cruz can single-handedly keep an offense afloat. And there are times like Friday’s 2-1 loss to Detroit when he gets dragged through the undertow. On Friday, when the Rangers went a season-worst 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, Cruz stood out as the..." May 18

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Nelson Cruz launched a three-run homer in the fifth inning Wednesday, and Alexi Ogando took a no-hitter in the sixth inning as the Rangers beat Oakland 6-2 to win the three-game series. The homer was Cruz’s 10th of the season and his third on the four-city, nine-game road trip, but it was only..." May 16

Dallas Morning News "In 2009, Texas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz started well. He is doing the same thing this season, leading the club in homers (five), RBIs (19) and slugging percentage (.521). Cruz played in the World Baseball Classic, for the Dominican Republic, before each season. The WBC experiences..." April 30

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Getting on hot streaks at the plate is something Nelson Cruz has done his entire career. He opened the 2011 season with home runs in the first four games. In 2010, he hit .340 in July and had six homers the final month of the season. And nobody can forget the six-homer, 13-RBI performance..." April 26

Dallas Morning News "Right fielder Nelson Cruz is back in the Texas Rangers’ lineup on Saturday, one day after a health scare. Cruz underwent a battery of tests on Friday at a local hospital after complaining of an extended “pressing” sensation in his chest. The tests came back negative, confirming the Rangers’..." March 02

Dallas Morning News "The Rangers received a scare when right fielder Nelson Cruz reported to the clubhouse complaining of chest pain, which had come on overnight. The club medical staff thought a strained intercostal muscle was causing the discomfort but thought it prudent to send Cruz to a hospital for a battery..." March 02

Dallas Morning News "Texas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz will be held out of Friday’s game against Seattle because of chest soreness. Cruz experienced the soreness overnight. The Rangers believe Cruz has a strained intercostal muscle, but they sent him to an area hospital this morning for tests to be certain..." March 01

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "One of the most honest and genuine players on the Texas Rangers’ roster, according to general manager Jon Daniels, is Nelson Cruz. And Cruz was as honest Friday as his lawyer advised him to be while addressing the media for the first time since he was named in a newspaper account about an..." February 16

Dallas Morning News "Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz reported to camp Friday morning and immediately addressed – to the limited extent he could based on attorney’s advice – the allegations that he was among the clients of a South Florida-based clinic that supplied Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) to a number of..." February 15

Dallas Morning News "Major League Baseball’s Department of Investigations has asked the Miami New Times for the records upon which is based allegations that Cruz and five other major leaguers purchased PEDs. MLB does not have subpoena power. Daniels said he could not comment on the state of the investigation..." February 06

Lone Star Ball "Randy Galloway has a column up that you might want to read. Or that you might not. It is nominally about the Nelson Cruz situation and how the Rangers should expect to start the season without Cruz for the first 50 games of the year, with Galloway saying this about what that means: It's a..." January 31

Bleacher Report "The PED allegations surrounding Alex Rodriguez in a recent report by Tim Elfrink of the Miami News Times have dominated the headlines, but he is far from the only player who could be impacted by the report. In fact, given that he was already expected to miss at least the first half of the..." January 31

ESPN.com "Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan said Wednesday that the club has not had a chance to talk to outfielder Nelson Cruz about the Miami New Times story this week linking him to a clinic that sold performance-enhancing drugs, according to a report in the Amarillo Globe-News. "When something like that..." January 31

ESPN.com "While Nelson Cruz has yet to discuss the Miami New Times report that links his name to an anti-aging clinic that sold performance-enhancing drugs, his law firm, Farrell & Reisinger, issued a denial this week to the Associated Press. "We are aware of certain allegations and inferences. To the..." January 31

Bleacher Report "A recent report from Tim Elfrink of the Miami News Times has dominated the MLB headlines of late, as a number of MLB stars including Alex Rodriguez, Gio Gonzalez and Nelson Cruz have been tied to a clinic that supplied PEDs. While this certainly does not qualify as a positive test for the..." January 31

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Nelson Cruz could be facing suspension and the Texas Rangers' outfield plans for 2013 have become clouded after Cruz was tied to a South Florida anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to six major leaguers. The right fielder was one of five All-Stars who were..." January 30

Lone Star Ball "Nelson Cruz is a trap. In short bursts he can be an awesome offensive force that takes your breath away, and he's especially been that in the postseason with a career slash of .278 / .336 / .683 for a 163 wRC+ in 137 PA (.405 ISO!). He also had an extreme BABIP outlier in 2010 (.348 to a career..." October 15

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Mild-mannered Nelson Cruz talked about his second temper flare-up in the past four games, the latest being some choice words for Royals pitcher Louis Coleman and catcher Bryan Pena after getting plunked to start the ninth inning. Cruz admitted that he might have taken an extended look at his..." September 04

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Six pitchers combined to throw 273 pitches Monday afternoon, but two pitches in particular created the most excitement at Kauffman Stadium. One was a borderline pitch that could have helped keep alive Yu Darvish's bid for a perfect game, and another hit Nelson Cruz and pumped up the Texas..." September 04

ESPN.com "The Royals insist they weren't throwing at Nelson Cruz, but Cruz isn't buying it. That's why Cruz took a couple of steps toward the mound Monday after being hit by a Louis Coleman pitch in the ninth inning. Both benches emptied and bullpen members rushed toward home plate, but that's as..." September 03

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "It didn't take long for Michael Kirkman to call the past three days the biggest in his major league career. "Yeah, absolutely," Kirkman said. Kirkman came through for the second time in three days, protecting a one-run lead late and helping secure the Texas Rangers' 2-1 victory Saturday over..." August 19

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Normal protocol was scrapped Saturday night as the Texas Rangers tried to end a season-worst skid. Joe Nathan hadn't pitched two full innings in nearly three years, and Nelson Cruz found himself in a different spot in a Rangers lineup that hadn't delivered in the clutch in what seemed like that..." July 08

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "The latest round of All-Star voting results are out, and Nelson Cruz is out of the starting mix in the outfield. The Rangers' right fielder slid from third to fifth in balloting for the American League team and trails Jose Bautista and Adam Jones. The gap isn't extreme -- Cruz trails Bautista..." June 19

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Nelson Cruz returned to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, but remained out of the starting lineup. Cruz continued to recover from a fever that was bad enough the Rangers sent him home on Tuesday afternoon, and manager Ron Washington wanted to give him another day off. Cruz was available to..." June 14

Dallas Morning News "Right fielder Nelson Cruz was out of the starting lineup Sunday with what he called a "tight" Achilles tendon. Blame it on his new shoes, Cruz said. "That's my guess," Cruz said before Sunday's 5-0 victory. "I put on new shoes the last day in Oakland." Cruz switched back to a pair of..." June 11

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "The hits kept coming Friday night for the Texas Rangers, and especially for Nelson Cruz. The right fielder had four hits, including a grand slam that gave him a career-high-tying eight RBIs. It was one of those nights for the Rangers' offense, which produced a double-digit run total for the..." May 26

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz left Saturday's game against the Houston Astros with tightness in his right quad. Cruz said it isn't anything serious, and he expects to play on Sunday. Cruz said he's been playing with the tightness for the past three games, and there wasn't a specific..." May 20

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Nelson Cruz is no longer a sight for the sore eyes of opposing pitchers, who day after day are confronted with a Rangers lineup that hits the baseball better than anybody in the league. The Rangers' right fielder hit his second home run in as many games Tuesday against Kansas City, continuing a..." May 15

Dallas Morning News "The Rangers would like to give Nelson Cruz a day off to clear his mind and maybe refresh his bat. They may finally get the opportunity on Monday. After watching Cruz's slump deepen Sunday, manager Ron Washington acknowledged the possibility if Adrian Beltre returns to the lineup. Washington,..." May 07

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "If Nelson Cruz plays in 155 games, Ron Washington sees an MVP-type season. But 128 games have been the most Cruz has played in any of his seven major league seasons. He has been hampered by hamstring injuries throughout his career, landing on the disabled list five times since the start of the..." February 25

Dallas Morning News "Nelson Cruz's $16 million, two-year contract with the Texas Rangers calls for the AL championship series MVP to receive a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $5 million this year and $10.5 million in 2013. Under the agreement announced Friday, Cruz's 2013 salary can rise by an additional..." February 15

Foxsports.com "The Rangers eliminated another of their arbitration cases on Thursday, signing right fielder Nelson Cruz to a two-year, $16 million contract, according to a major-league source. Cruz, 31, asked for $7.5 million in arbitration; the Rangers offered $5.5 million. His new deal covers his final two..." February 09

Dallas Morning News "SS Elvis Andrus may not be the only Ranger to get a multi-year contract this week. According to a major league source, the club is close with OF Nelson Cruz on a two-year deal that would eliminate his scheduled arbitration hearing next week. The 2-year deal with Cruz, who is seeking $7.5..." February 09

Dallas Morning News "Nelson Cruz and the Rangers have a little less than three weeks to hammer out a one-year deal ahead of Cruz's February 17 arbitration hearing. It seems that both sides would prefer to bridge the gap between the $7.5 million figure Cruz asked for and the $5.5 million the Rangers offered, rather..." February 01

Dallas Morning News "Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz is feeling good about his troublesome legs, but he will take the careful route leading up to spring training and not play in the Dominican Republic Winter League. The Cibao Gigantes recently raised the possibility of Cruz joining the club for the regular season..." December 22

MLB.com "Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli are in the Rangers' lineup Friday for Game 7 despite both having suffered injuries on Thursday in Game 6. Cruz, who exited Thursday's game with a strained left groin muscle, will test it during batting practice to make sure it is good to go. After that, the Rangers..." October 28

Dallas Morning News "Manager Ron Washington said that catcher Mike Napoli is "fine" after rolling his ankle at second base on a slide early in the game, but was uncertain about Nelson Cruz's availability for Game 7 late Thursday after he strained his groin muscle. "Well, Napoli is fine," Washington said. "Cruz sort..." October 28

Dallas Morning News "While Nelson Cruz bashed his way to the ALCS Most Valuable Player trophy in the seventh spot, manager Ron Washington was constantly questioned about why he didn't move the slugger up in the order. On Wednesday, he moved Cruz up. And got questions about that, too. "Moving him up was a..." October 20

New York Daily News "When Mets scout Eddy Toledo first laid eyes on Nelson Cruz back in the late 1990s, Cruz was a big kid who couldn't hit for power, a raw teenager who preferred basketball to baseball, even playing hoops for the Dominican Republic's Junior National Team. "Eddy did a great job," recalls Omar..." October 18

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "His name is Cruz. He hits missiles. When all was said and done, when the last phone rang in the bullpen, Nelson Cruz reminded us Saturday night what this Texas Rangers team is all about. They bash the baseball. They light up a scoreboard. From the hollow, nearly hitless November night..." October 16

MLB.com "Nelson Cruz came into the American League Championship Series riding a late-season slump and representing a major question mark in the Rangers' postseason hopes. He departs carrying the ALCS Most Valuable Player trophy and a new record for the most home runs in a postseason series with six..." October 16

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "The game that didn't want to start Wednesday afternoon went deep into the night at Comerica Park, and no one seemed to mind one bit. But Game 4 of the American League Championship Series had to end eventually, and Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli made sure that it ended with a Texas Rangers..." October 13

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Their starting pitcher didn't give them much of a chance Monday afternoon, and the bottom of the order couldn't deliver when badly needed in a tight spot as evening arrived. A bullpen that has been terrific so far this postseason had to be run almost completely out of gas. The..." October 11

Dallas Morning News "On Thursday, Cruz told manager Ron Washington that he was indeed ready to return to the outfield after managing the soreness in his hamstring for five games at DH. Cruz jogged quite slowly during most of the five-game period, but said he was simply being extra cautious with his injury. "Every..." September 23

Dallas Morning News "The Rangers tentative plan once Nelson Cruz got back into the lineup Saturday was for him to play two games as the DH, then move to the outfield. There is a reason the plan was tentative. After watching Cruz move for one day, manager Ron Washington suggested it was quite possible he might..." September 19

Dallas Morning News "The Texas Rangers learned today that outfielder Nelson Cruz will miss about three weeks because of a strained left hamstring. Team physician Dr. Keith Meister made the prognosis after reviews the results of tests that Cruz underwent. To help the healing process, Meister gave Cruz an injection..." August 29

Dallas Morning News "The Rangers will be without outfielder Nelson Cruz for an undetermined period after he strained a left hamstring running out a double in the sixth inning. The Rangers expect to have a clearer idea of Cruz' status after he undergoes tests Monday. Third baseman Adrian Beltre has been out for six..." August 29

Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Right fielder Nelson Cruz said that he could be in the Rangers' lineup Tuesday against the Angels after leaving Monday's game in the seventh inning with tightness in his left quadriceps. It's the second time in three weeks that Cruz has felt discomfort in the muscle, but this instance is not as..." August 16

MLB.com "Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz was removed from Monday's game against the Angels with tightness in his left quad muscle. Cruz left the game in the seventh inning, but the situation is not considered serious. Cruz wears a sleeve on his legs to protect against these problems. He felt the muscle..." August 16

Toronto Star "It was a promising start for the Blue Jays' Jo-Jo Reyes – a one-two-three first inning Friday night against a potent Texas Rangers lineup. The left-hander got ahead in the count. He kept the ball down. He induced groundballs. But that was as good as it got. The Rangers, who came into the..." July 23