Cruceta was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent, on May 20, 1999. He spent the next three seasons with the DSL Dodgers in the Dominican Summer League; in his last year he went 0–4 with 1.50 ERA. For 2002, the Dodgers brought Cruceta over to the Single-A South Georgia Waves, where he went 8–5, with a 2.80 ERA and three complete games. On July 28, 2002, the Dodgers, in the midst of a pennant race, traded Cruceta with Terry Mulholland and Ricardo Rodríguez to the Cleveland Indians for veteran pitcher Paul Shuey. The Indians assigned Cruceta to the Single-A Kinston Indians.\n', '

At Kinston, Cruceta started seven games, going 2–0 with a 2.50 ERA. In November, the Indians added him their 40-man roster, indicating their confidence in him. Nevertheless, Cruceta would not pitch in a major league game for the Indians until the end of the 2004 season. Cruceta began the 2003 season with the Double-A Akron Aeros. At the time, Cruceta had in his arsenal a fastball (which topped out at 94 miles per hour (151 km/h)), slider, and changeup. John Farrell, then the Indians director of player development, praised Cruceta\'s mechanics: "He throws the ball on a downward plane. It allows the action of all his pitches to work down and force ground-ball outs. We\'re ecstatic that we got him in the Rodriguez trade." Cruceta enjoyed a strong year at Akron, going 13–9 with a 3.09 ERA. Cruceta returned to the Aeros for the 2004 season, and in mid-June the Indians promoted him to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he went 6–5 with a 3.25 ERA as the Bisons defeated the Richmond Braves for the International League championship and the Governors\' Cup. Following the series Cruceta was one of six Bisons players called up by the Indians for the fall expansion.\n', '

Cruceta replaced the injured CC Sabathia in the starting rotation, and made his major league debut against the Detroit Tigers on September 21, 2004. Cruceta gave up five runs in four innings, but did not figure in the decision, as the Indians mounted a comeback and defeated the Tigers 8–7. He pitched in one more game that season, this time giving up four runs on five hits in ​3 2⁄3 innings on September 26, 2004, in a 6–2 loss to the Minnesota Twins, where Cruceta received the loss.\n', '

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