Oswaldo Cabrera’s Yankees career started with him breathing a breath of fresh air into a floundering 2022 team that was well on its way to blowing a massive division lead, helping them right the ship. That 44-game stint that included a go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS has turned out to be the highlight of his career to this point.
After two seasons where he struggled to take the reins in two different position battles (left field in 2023, third base in 2024), Cabrera suffered a season-ending
ankle injury on May 12th in Seattle, destabilizing an already extremely shallow Yankees infield that was then forced to give serious reps to Oswald Peraza, DJ LeMahieu, and Jorbit Vivas.
Fast forward to 2026, and Cabrera, after spending his downtime being the positive locker room presence he’s known for, is expected to be ready to go when position players report later this month. After several moves fortified the Yankees’ infield, what’s next for the super-utilityman?
2025 statistics: 34 games, 122 plate appearances, .243/.322/.308, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 83 wRC+, 9.0 BB%, 20.5 K%, -1 Defensive Runs Saved, -1 Outs Above Average, 0.1 fWAR
2026 ZiPS DC projections: 44 games, 189 plate appearances, .230/.297/.350, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 83 wRC+, 8.2 BB%, 20.3 K%, 0.2 fWAR
Waldo was not a highly-touted prospect in the minor leagues, even as he won MVP in the Eastern League in 2021 while playing for Double-A Somerset. He brute forced his way to the big leagues, not being given a red carpet rollout like top prospects get across the sport. For that reason, the soon-to-be 27-year-old from Venezuela is a great story.
But ever since that 2022 season, he just hasn’t been able to do much with the bat. That 2023 season in particular, he looked nothing like he did in the minors or in 2022, changing his approach to go from someone who looks to lift and pull the ball to more of a slap hitter. His ISO, predictably, fell from .182 to .087.
Since then, he appears to have shifted to being between what he was in 2023 and 2022, which is a pretty mediocre backup. If that’s his role for the Yankees this season, that’s perfectly fine. His value is primarily on the other side of the ball.
Cabrera will enter 2026 as the team’s utilityman, at least to start. With José Caballero ticketed for a majority of reps at shortstop while Anthony Volpe recovers from shoulder surgery, Cabrera will be used around the diamond. He’s most likely to be seen at second and third base, as well as left and right field, but don’t rule out reps at first base in a pinch (though if that happened, something went terribly wrong). His flexibility will be an asset, as he’s been solid wherever he’s defended throughout his career:
- 1B: 0 DRS, 1 OAA (74.2 innings)
- 2B: -4 DRS, 0 OAA (126.1 innings)
- 3B: 9 DRS, 3 OAA (972.2 innings)
- SS: -1 DRS, -1 OAA (103 innings)
- LF: -2 DRS, -1 OAA (402 innings)
- RF: 7 DRS, 0 OAA (483 innings)
The most intriguing part, though, is shortstop. There is a path for Cabrera to enter a full platoon with Caballero, but it will require him to prove he can be a serviceable platoon bat. He does hit better in his career against right-handed pitching (.660 OPS vs .579 OPS), but has been extremely inconsistent year-to-year. If he wants to be penciled into Aaron Boone’s lineup more often, he needs to be able to hit.
Here’s the problem. Everything he does, Caballero does better. Caballero is one of baseball’s best baserunners and can defend at a high level in both the infield and outfield. Although his torrid hitting post-trade is likely an aberration, he still possesses a greater offensive floor and ceiling. When push comes to shove, Caballero will get more opportunities than Cabrera.
So when Volpe returns from injury, assuming Caballero doesn’t Wally Pipp him, that’ll push Caballero into the super-utility role. Where does that leave Waldo? He has two minor-league options, so a return to Triple-A if he’s not hitting above his weight is possible, but it would be a blow to a locker room that loves him.
Cabrera, despite being the 25th or 26th man on the roster, might be one of the more intriguing. A good spring could have him in a true platoon role at shortstop while being a primary backup at multiple positions, but a slow start off of ankle surgery could have him reduced to emergency depth in Triple-A. There’s a wide range of outcomes for one of the most positive dudes in the clubhouse, and we’ll have to see if he can get back on track.
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