In 2018, he played for the West Virginia Power, batting .286 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI in 103 games, earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors.

[4] After missing two months due to the fractured foot,[5] Cruz was assigned to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates on June 24.

[10] Cruz split the 2021 minor league season between Altoona and the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, hitting a combined .310/.375/.594 with 17 home runs, 47 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.

[17] On August 24, 2022, Cruz hit the hardest-hit ball since the advent of Statcast against Atlanta Braves pitcher Kyle Wright.

[21] In 2024, Cruz batted .259/.324/.449 with 21 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases, and had the highest maximum exit velocity in MLB, at 121.5 mph.

The only other major league player to make an appearance at shortstop as tall was 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) Joel Guzmán, who played nine innings for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007.

There have been four 6-foot-5-inch (1.96 m) major leaguers who started some games at shortstop — Archi Cianfrocco, Elly De La Cruz, Troy Glaus, and Michael Morse.