PHOENIX — Nelson Cruz was just waking up from his customary pregame power nap before Friday’s game when manager Scott Servais walked by and told him he’d be starting in right field on Saturday.
“I thought I was dreaming,” Cruz joked later that night.
But it was very real on Saturday afternoon when Servais penciled Cruz into the cleanup spot in the batting order and in right field.
“I was hoping for the best, hoping it would be a dream come true,” he said.
Joking aside, Cruz went to Servais a few days before the series to lobby to play in the field.