The New York Yankees are attempting to go for the sweep on Wednesday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins.
However, ahead of the game, as they reinstated right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt from the 60-day IL, they had to make a move on their 40-man roster to clear a spot.
Ultimately, the Yankees made an unexpected decision, designating 27-year-old infielder Oswaldo Cabrera for assignment.
Cabrera has quite a bit of major league experience with the Yankees and has been playing very well down in Triple-A this season.
Aaron Boone Makes Strong Statement on Roster Move
Speaking to the media prior to Wednesday’s game was manager Aaron Boone, who made his thoughts on the decision to DFA Cabrera very clear.
Via Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News Sports: “I’m blessed to have a lot of guys on this team that you just admire and respect and love doing the job with on a daily basis. Oswaldo’s right there at the top of that list… The good thing is, Oswaldo’s come back from a very difficult injury and had a really good year down at Triple-A. He’s playing really well, so hopefully this is just one of those things. I’m confident that Oswaldo will go on to have a very good career, and hopefully it’s still with us.”
Aaron Boone on Oswaldo Cabrera:
“I’m blessed to have a lot of guys on this team that you just admire and respect and love doing the job with on a daily basis. Oswaldo’s right there at the top of that list… The good thing is, Oswaldo’s come back from a very difficult injury and…
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) September 16, 2026
DFA’ing Cabrera does not necessarily mean the Yankees are ending his tenure with the organization.
The move simply takes him off the 40-man roster and opens a seven-day waiver window, during which another team can claim him, the Yankees can trade him, or, if he clears waivers, Cabrera can elect free agency or the Yankees can reassign him to their minor league system.
Cabrera’s MLB Career
Cabrera first made his MLB debut with the Yankees back in 2022, and he has remained in somewhat of a utility role since then, struggling to truly carve out an everyday role, partially because of his inconsistencies.
That said, he appeared in over 100 games in both 2023 and 2024 for New York and has totaled 304 career games at the major league level during that span. He’s hitting .232 with 120 runs, 201 hits, 20 home runs, and 95 RBIs while slugging .343 with a .635 OPS.
Aaron Boone Makes Strong Statement on Yankees’ Unexpected Roster Move