What should have been a joyous night for the New York Yankees, a night on which they smacked four home runs in an 11-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners, turned into a somber affair.
In the top of the ninth inning, third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera tagged from third on a fly ball to right field when he suffered a lower leg injury sliding into home plate. He remained down for an extended period and was eventually wheeled off and into an ambulance.
“Before he got carted off, he just called me over to say, ‘Did I score?'” Captain Aaron Judge said of Cabrera.
Cabrera still managed to touch home plate.
The Yankees’ dugout watched in agonizing silence as a beloved member of their clubhouse went down with a grueling injury. The Mariners’ home crowd was silent, too.
The gruesome play was not replayed by the YES Network broadcast.
Clubhouse Reaction
Here is what outfielder Trent Grisham, who contributed two of the four home runs tonight, had to say:
https://x.com/YESNetwork/status/1922154449356701999
It is unclear how long New York will be without Cabrera, and this is a gut-wrenching development for the 26-year-old.
Since making his big league debut in 2022, he has been one of the heartbeats of this team and one of the most electrifying personalities. Cabrera regularly sports a smile and is a reminder that even at the highest level of baseball, this is still a kid’s game.
2025 brought good fortune to Cabrera, who had mostly spent time as a reserve player and super utility man, having seen extensive time at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and the corner outfield spots during his career.
After winning the third base job this spring, he had gotten off to a respectable start at the plate. Cabrera is batting .243 with a .630 OPS and an 81 OPS+ through 33 games, but it is his jovial influence on the team that stands out the most.
Manager Aaron Boone had this to say on his injured player, who is now at the hospital:
“A great game in a lot of ways, but a lot of guys feeling for their teammate…[He’s] the best of the best of them,” Boone said.
“Something like that happens, for someone that you feel so good about, and who he is in that room, and it smacks you with that perspective thing that we try to talk about,” Boone added.
Much like Grisham, Boone was noticeably shaken up with Cabrera’s well-being occupying their thoughts, and all of their teammates’ thoughts.
Where Do Yankees Go From Here?
New York must now rely upon infielders Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas, neither of whom is a proven commodity, to carry the load in Cabrera’s absence. If there is a silver lining to this horrific injury, it is that it coincides with D.J. LeMahieu’s activation. The 36-year-old has shown the effects of a long career in recent years, but can still be an effective piece of the third base puzzle.
Cabrera’s health is still the Yankees’ biggest concern for now and the foreseeable future. Hopefully, they have some good news in the coming days. Best of luck to Cabrera, and if his attitude has taught us anything, he will attack his recovery with enthusiasm and a smile.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge Makes Announcement After Oswaldo Cabrera’s Injury