Nearly 14 months since a season-ending injury nearly derailed his career, Oswaldo Cabrera is back in the big leagues.
According to multiple reports, the first by Jack Curry of YES Network, the Yankees are recalling Cabrera from Triple-A to replace Ryan McMahon, who is going on the injured list with an ear and throat infection.
Cabrera suffered a major fracture to his ankle on May 12, 2025, while sliding into home in a game in Seattle, and missed the remainder of that season. This year’s roster crunch meant he has spent the entire 2026 campaign until now in Triple-A, but the switch-hitter could provide a big boost for at least a certain part of the lineup for a team currently without Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Trent Grisham as well as now McMahon.
This season, Cabrera has an overall slash line of .271/.330/.397 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 68 games for the RailRiders, but he is hitting .397 with a .967 OPS, 3 homers, and 11 RBI in June, and overall is at .385 with a 965 OPS against left-handed pitching.
McMahon is hitting .210 overall this year and .225 in limited action against lefties, but he has fallen into almost a true platoon at third base of late with some combination of Jose Caballero (often bumped from shortstop for Anthony Volpe) and Amed Rosario, who was acquired last season and brought back this year for his ability to hit left-handed pitching, but actually has hit right-handers better than lefties this season (.286 vs. .221).
The Yankees will face Tigers ace Tarik Skubal Wednesday before a four-game set against a southpaw-heavy Red Sox rotation this weekend, so Cabrera’s success against lefties and versatility – he has played every diamond position but catcher, and started at least a few games everywhere but center field – could see him deployed early and often as he returns.
