The New York Yankees have announced the acquisition of minor league right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international signing bonus pool money from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for catcher Carlos Narváez.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz
Rodriguez-Cruz, 21, had a successful 2024 season, combining for a 5-5 record with a 2.91 ERA (89.2 IP, 65 H, 39 R/29 ER, 43 BB, 102 K, 5 HR) across 21 games (20 starts) with Single-A Salem (14 games/13 starts) and High-A Greenville (7 starts). He was named the Carolina League “Pitcher of the Month” for June after allowing 2 runs (0 earned) over 20.0 innings in four starts with Salem. Following the season, he earned Low Class-A All-Star honors with Salem from Baseball America.
Over his three minor league seasons with the Red Sox organization (2022-24), Rodriguez-Cruz has compiled an 11-11 record with a 2.60 ERA (183.1 IP, 139 H, 79 R/53 ER, 85 BB, 195 K, 9 HR) in 48 games (44 starts). The Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of Leadership Christian Academy (P.R.).
Carlos Narváez
Narváez, 26, made his Major League debut in 2024, hitting .231 (3-for-13) with two walks in six games with the Yankees. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he batted .254 (85-for-335) with 54 runs, 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 58 RBI, 56 walks, and 9 stolen bases in 96 games. Over eight minor league seasons in the Yankees organization (2016-19, 2021-24), Narváez has hit .250 (422-for-1,689) with 257 runs, 78 doubles, 2 triples, 47 home runs, 237 RBI, 277 walks, and 23 stolen bases in 496 games. The Maracay, Venezuela native was re-signed by the Yankees to a minor league contract on October 21, 2022, after originally signing as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2015.
