Lower than 24 hours after an ambulance needed to take Oswaldo Cabrera off the sector at T-Cell Park, the Yankees positioned the utilityman on the 10-day injured record with a damaged left ankle.
Cabrera, attempting to keep away from a tag play on an Aaron Choose sac fly, slipped and injured his left ankle in grotesque vogue as he neared house throughout the ninth inning of Monday’s 11-5 win over the Mariners. Whereas Cabrera willed his strategy to the plate, sneaking his left hand in and scoring a run, he instantly pounded his open proper hand into the grime in agony.
As Cabrera laid down within the grime, the Yankees and Mariners’ coaching staffs labored to immobilize him. Tim Lentych, the Yankees’ head athletic coach, hugged Cabrera on the bottom, attempting to console the 26-year-old one of the best he may as teammates circled them.
Afterward, Aaron Boone advised reporters that Lentych went to a Seattle-area hospital with Cabrera.
“I think everyone understands it’s a pretty serious situation,” Boone mentioned Monday, by way of the YES Community. “So just praying for our guy Cabby tonight and hoping for the best.”
On Monday, a cart was initially referred to as for Cabrera. Nonetheless, the ambulance finally took him off the sector after he was positioned on a stretcher and in a brace.
Boone mentioned that Cabrera was speaking as he departed. He repeatedly mentioned that he was in ache.
Cabrera additionally requested Choose if he scored. The affirmative reply introduced a smile to Cabrera’s face.
Now in his fourth main league season, Cabrera is hitting .243 with one house run and 11 RBI. A flexible defender, he has primarily performed third this 12 months.
Along with his flexibility, Cabrera has earned a popularity for being extremely upbeat. His relentless positivity has been a continuing since he debuted in 2022, making Monday’s sobering scene all of the tougher to observe for his teammates.
“Oswaldo’s the best of us,” Trent Grisham advised the YES Community. “He shows up every day with the right attitude, plays the game hard, and he’s the best person off the field. We just love him.”
Added Boone: “He is an example in so many ways for anyone to look to for how to go about living their life. So your heart breaks anytime something serious happens, but all of us know Oswaldo Cabrera and what a special person he is.”
Cabrera’s unlucky damage got here with the Yankees already planning to activate DJ LeMahieu on Tuesday. They did precisely that, making LeMahieu the corresponding transfer for Cabrera.
LeMahieu has but to make his 2025 debut, as he suffered a calf pressure in spring coaching. His current rehab task for that damage additionally included a cortisone shot for a nagging hip.
The injury-plagued 36-year-old hasn’t performed in a giant league sport since Sept. 3, 2024, and the 67 contests he appeared in final season accounted for the worst stretch of his profession.
Previous to Cabrera’s damage, the plan was for LeMahieu to attend till Wednesday for his first begin of the season.
LeMahieu was seen as a 3rd base candidate getting into camp, however Boone not too long ago mentioned that second base is “more in play.” In fact, that was additionally earlier than Cabrera obtained damage, however the Yankees even have a necessity at second base with Jazz Chisholm Jr. recovering from an indirect pressure.
With Chisholm out, Pablo Reyes, a defensive nightmare, and Jorbit Vivas, hitting .158 by his first 9 profession video games, have been manning second base. Reyes has additionally performed some third, however Oswald Peraza, hitting .204, has been the go-to various at third when Cabrera has been out of the lineup.
With some subpar competitors surrounding him, LeMahieu all of a sudden has an opportunity to earn constant enjoying time. Whether or not or not the two-time batting champ produces on the plate will issue into that, although.
Whereas LeMahieu slashed .444/.500/.593 with one homer and 4 RBI over 9 rehab video games between Double-A and Triple-A, he’s coming off a season by which he hit .204/.269/.259 with seven extra-base hits, two house runs, 26 RBI and a 52 wRC+ between a damaged foot and a hip damage.
LeMahieu, owed $30 million between this season and subsequent, has battled two foot/toe accidents since 2022, and he has a 99 wRC+ since his final batting title in 2020.
Whereas far under his requirements, the Yankees would take that league average-level manufacturing from LeMahieu as they await Chisholm’s yet-to-be-determined return. It will even be an enchancment for LeMahieu, who made it identified earlier than his spring coaching calf damage that he’d wish to be of larger service this season.
“I definitely lost a lot of sleep,” he mentioned on the time. “It’s tough to be a guy that the team can’t rely on at times. I always take pride in that, so to not be able to do that, it’s definitely frustrating. But at the same time, I haven’t lost my passion for helping this team and my passion for this team. So that keeps me going.”
Initially Printed: Might 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM EDT
