| Omar Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Cruz in 2022 with the Altoona Curve | |
| Free agent | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:January 26, 1999 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 1, 2025, for the San Diego Padres | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 0–0 |
| Earned run average | 4.91 |
| Strikeouts | 5 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Omar Alejandro Cruz (born January 26,1999) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He made his MLB debut in 2025.
Cruz signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free agent on July 3,2017. [1] He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Rookie-level Arizona League Padres and was promoted to the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Low–A Northwest League in July. Over 11 games (ten starts) with the two clubs,he pitched to a 1–1 record with a 1.91 ERA,striking out 59 batters over 42+1⁄3 innings. [2] [3]
Cruz returned to Tri-City to begin the 2019 season before he was promoted to the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Single–A Midwest League. He compiled a combined 2–3 record and 2.73 ERA over 12 starts, striking out 76 over 56 innings. [4] Cruz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [5]
On January 19, 2021, Cruz (alongside David Bednar, Drake Fellows, Hudson Head, and Endy Rodríguez) was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three team deal that also sent Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Joey Lucchesi to the New York Mets. [6] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the High-A East. [7] After seven starts in which he went 3–3 with a 3.45 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 28+2⁄3 innings, he was promoted to the Altoona Curve of the Double-A Northeast. [8] Over 14 starts with Altoona, he went 3–4 with a 3.44 ERA over 70+2⁄3 innings. [9] He returned to Altoona for the 2022 season. [10] Over 23 games (five starts), Cruz posted a 3–3 record with a 5.03 ERA and 69 strikeouts over 62+2⁄3 innings. [11]
On December 6, 2023, Cruz was selected by the San Diego Padres in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. [12] He made 34 appearances split between the Double–A San Antonio Missions and Triple–A El Paso Chihuahuas, compiling a 6–2 record and 3.96 ERA with 118 strikeouts across 86+1⁄3 innings pitched. On November 19, 2024, the Padres added Cruz to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. [13]
Cruz was initially optioned to Triple-A El Paso to begin the 2025 season. [14] However, on March 27, 2025, it was announced that Cruz had made San Diego's Opening Day roster. [15] On November 21, he was non-tendered and became a free agent. [16]
