Fernando Cruz aims for Yankees return without surgery after elbow injury

Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz is pursuing a comeback following a partially torn UCL that landed him on the injured list in late August. He recently completed a bullpen session and plans to throw again soon, despite ruling out surgery. Cruz expressed confidence in his recovery, stating he does not accept the diagnosis of a tear. Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Cruz's progress but emphasized that decisions on his return will be made after the regular season. Cruz's past performance included a solid 3.13 ERA over 61 appearances, and his return could strengthen the bullpen ahead of the postseason.

• 10:20 PMYahoo Sports — A defiant Fernando Cruz working to return to Yankees without elbow surgery: 'I'm going to beat this'