Waldo is officially back.
Yankees utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera, who hasn’t played a major-league game since fracturing his ankle early last season, is being called up by the organization to pitch in as third baseman Ryan McMahon was placed on the injured list with an ear/throat infection. YES Network’s Jack Curry revealed the information on Wednesday morning. It will be the 27-year-old’s big chance to prove he is fully behind that gruesome injury suffered on May 12, 2025 in Seattle.
The capable yet inconsistent
Cabrera is hitting .271/.330/.397 (88 wRC+) in 68 games with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 294 plate appearances. He has seven home runs and six stolen bases. It took the switch-hitter a while to get going, which is understandable after such a long layoff. In his first 23 games, he hit a highly disappointing .143/.207/.238 with a 13 wRC+.
In Cabrera’s last 45 games, however, he is hitting a robust .331/.386/.472 with a 123 wRC+. Evidently, he needed some time and reps to get into a rhythm, and the Yankees are taking advantage of his good run of form in Triple-A to promote him and have him help out in The Show.
Cabrera, who is sporting a phenomenal .397 batting average with a .967 OPS and three round-trippers in June, is also hitting .385 with a .965 OPS against southpaws, so he figures to get a lot of playing time in those situations in the Bronx. This also helps explain why Cabrera was selected for the promotion.
As for McMahon, Curry clarified that he hasn’t played since Sunday, so his IL stint will be backdated. He also suggested that it looks like a short stay on the shelf for him. The slick-fielding third baseman has a .210/.269/.360 line (75 wRC+) with eight home runs and 23 RBI in 69 games and 202 trips to the plate for the Yankees this year.
