MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have signed designated hitter Nelson Cruz to a one-year contract through the 2021 season.

Cruz, 40, played in 53 games last season, hitting .303 (56-for-185) with six doubles, 16 home runs, 33 RBI, 33 runs scored, 25 walks, a .397 on-base percentage, a .595 slugging percentage and a .992 OPS. The slugger ranked third in the American League in on-base percentage, fourth in OPS, fifth in slugging percentage, tied for fifth in home runs and seventh in batting average. He joined Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna as the only players in baseball with at least 15 home runs, 30 RBI, 25 walks, a .300 batting average and a .990 OPS, while his OPS was the fourth best all-time among players age 39-or-older.

The recipient of the 2020 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the 2020 ESPYS, Cruz was also named the winner of the 2020 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, an honor voted on by his peers for a player they “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Following the season, he was also voted the winner of the Most Valuable Twin Award and the Bob Allison Award for team leadership, winning both honors for the second consecutive season.

He originally signed with the Twins in January of 2019 and has hit .308 (197-for-639) with 32 doubles, 57 home runs, 141 RBI, 114 runs scored, 81 walks, a .394 on-base percentage, a .626 slugging percentage and a 1.020 OPS over his two seasons in Minnesota. In that span, he ranks second in baseball in OPS and slugging percentage, seventh in on-base percentage and ninth in batting average (min. 700 PA).

The 16-year major league veteran has played in 1,742 career games, hitting .278 (1777-for-6397) with 330 doubles, 13 triples, 417 home runs, 1152 RBI, 952 runs scored, 632 walks, a .347 on-base percentage, a .529 slugging percentage and an .876 OPS. The Las Matas De Santa Cruz, Dominican Republic native ranks 53rd on baseball’s all-time home run list and eighth among Dominican-born players.