The Yankees Should Play Oswaldo Cabrera Every Day
The young infielder is off to an incredible start to the 2024 season.
The New York Yankees may have found their latest star.
Even in a star-studded lineup with a fearsome 1-5 in the order, the Bronx Bombers have an unexpected slugger in the bottom third of the lineup: Oswaldo Cabrera.
The 25-year-old utility man, currently filling in for DJ LeMahieu at third base, had a solid rookie season in 2022 before struggling immensely in 2023; last season, he slashed .211/.275/.299 with just five homers in 115 games, amounting to a 60 wRC+ and -0.8 fWAR.
However, Cabrera made major modifications to his swing - and watched Juan Soto's at-bats to rework his hitting approach - and the results are showing immediately. Although it may be a small sample size of 11 games, he's hitting .317/.378/.585 with a 181 wRC+. He has almost as many RBI (11) as hits this year (13), and he's second on the team in home runs (3).
Strangely, the Yankees continued to stick with their third base platoon in their series against the Miami Marlins despite Cabrera's scorching start, and played Jon Berti in each game. Although Cabrera is a switch-hitter, he is considered to be a stronger hitter from the left side of the plate - and has even batted left-handed against southpaws, depending on the matchup. The Marlins started left-handers in each game of the three-game set, prompting the Yankees to use the right-handed Berti. That may make sense, but what doesn't was the lack of pinch-hitting opportunities for Cabrera during that series so they can give him the at-bats he needs to stay hot.
This ultimately wouldn't matter, as Cabrera picked up right where he left off against the Cleveland Guardians in a Saturday doubleheader. He blasted a two-run homer that proved to be the decisive margin in the first game, and added a run-scoring double in the second game for good measure.
With Berti now on the injured list with a left groin strain, Cabrera is now the starting third baseman for the foreseeable future until LeMahieu returns from his injury. But even when that happens, the Yankees need to look for ways to give Cabrera consistent at-bats and continue his development into a potential star.
The Yankees have penciled Cabrera into Sunday's lineup, batting ninth against Guardians starter Logan Allen. It will be his first start against a left-hander since Opening Day against the Astros on March 28.
