Sometimes a season can pivot in a single step.
For the New York Yankees, that moment came on Tuesday afternoon, when Oswaldo Cabrera was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left ankle—an injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season.
The timing couldn’t be worse, but as one door closes, another opens.
And waiting behind that door is a familiar face the Yankees are quietly hoping still has something left in the tank.
Cabrera’s versatility disappears overnight
Cabrera wasn’t lighting up the stat sheet this season, but his value went far beyond what the numbers showed.
He was hitting .243/.322/.308 with a .630 OPS and just one home run—numbers that raised eyebrows, but never expectations.
What made Cabrera irreplaceable was his defensive flexibility. He moved around the infield like a seasoned chess piece, plugging holes and offering manager Aaron Boone matchup options.
Now, that versatility is gone in a flash—and the Yankees will have to adjust on the fly.
DJ LeMahieu returns to the hot corner
Filling Cabrera’s roster spot is veteran DJ LeMahieu, who officially returned from his rehab assignment on Tuesday.
Last season, LeMahieu’s bat disappeared, slashing .204/.269/.259 with two homers and 26 RBIs across just 67 games.
But his recent stint in the minors tells a different story.
Over nine games between Double-A and Triple-A, LeMahieu slashed .444/.500/.593, looking like the professional hitter Yankees fans remember from his prime.
If he brings even a fraction of that spark back to the majors, it’ll go a long way toward stabilizing the infield.
LeMahieu’s glove matters just as much as his bat
Even during his offensive struggles, LeMahieu never stopped playing elite defense.
His ability to man third base with confidence and precision will be crucial in the absence of Cabrera.
The Yankees aren’t asking him to carry the offense—but if he can be steady, productive, and stay healthy, it might be enough.
He doesn’t need to be the 2019 version of himself. He just needs to be better than what the Yankees have seen recently.
Depth will be tested quickly
With Cabrera out and LeMahieu sliding into his role, the Yankees’ infield depth gets thin in a hurry.
That means Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas, and Pablo Reyes are now on notice to step up when called upon.
They’ll be leaned on for situational starts, late-inning defense, and hopefully the occasional clutch at-bat.
This is where organizational depth matters—and the Yankees have little margin for error now.
A pivotal stretch begins with uncertainty
The Yankees have weathered injuries before, but Cabrera’s loss hits differently.
He wasn’t a star, but he was a glue guy—someone who held the infield together when others faltered.
Now, they’ll hope LeMahieu can hold the line while the rest of the roster finds its footing again.
There’s no way to replace what Cabrera brought, but with the right mix of veterans and depth pieces, the Yankees will try to absorb the blow.
Popular Reading
The Yankees let an offensive weapon walk out the door — and the impact is being felt now
!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“has-featured-video”,”true”)})}();var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({“div”:”Brid_2120153″,”obj”:{“id”:”30505″,”width”:”1280″,”height”:”720″,”stickyDirection”:”below”,”video”:”2120153″,”poster”:”https://empiresportsmedia.com/wp-content/plugins/tpd-addons/blocks/featured-video/src/img/1×1-white.png”}});https://player.target-video.com/player/build/targetvideo.min.js