BOSTON — Oswaldo Cabrera Makes His Return
Oswaldo Cabrera made his comeback to the major league lineup on Sunday night, marking the first time he played since a serious ankle injury last May.
Unfortunately for him, the game didn’t go quite as planned; the Yankees fell to the Red Sox 5-4 in the 10th inning, partly due to a significant defensive blunder early in the match.
Cabrera went 0-for-3, though he did lay down a crucial sacrifice bunt in the top of the 10th that contributed to the Yankees scoring two runs.
A defensive error became apparent in the fourth inning. With the game still scoreless and one out, Carlos Rodon got Willson Contreras to hit a sharp grounder to third base. Cabrera fumbled the ball, and by the time he got it to first base, it was too late.
What should have been an easy out turned into a two-run hit for Caleb Durbin, extending the inning to 37 pitches for Rodon, which played a part in him lasting only five innings.
The Yankees defense had let them down with four errors in a previous game, but they fought hard again on Sunday.
“When we’re not scoring, we just didn’t play clean enough here this weekend,” Coach Aaron Boone remarked.
This marked Cabrera’s season debut; he had been called up from Triple-A on Wednesday to replace the injured Ryan McMahon.
It was the first major league game for Cabrera since he broke his left ankle in Seattle after a tough slide home, which also caused ligament damage.
Boone praised Cabrera, saying, “He’s worked incredibly hard to overcome a really bad injury. He was Oswald, but he did his job with grace, class, and diligence. He makes a room better when he’s around.”
On the pitching side, longtime nemesis Amed Rosario started against right-hander Sonny Gray on Sunday and broke up a no-hitter in the eighth inning. This game highlighted a team split different from his career averages.
Before Sunday, Rosario had a .280 average and an .842 OPS in 53 at-bats against right-handers, but only a .218 average with a .665 OPS against lefties.
In total for his career, he batted .263 with a .671 OPS against right-handed pitchers and .293 with a .791 OPS against left-handed ones.
“It’s a small sample, that’s my verdict,” Boone noted. “He’s going to excel against lefties.”
He added, “If he continues this way for another 1,000 at-bats, it would be more telling. Still, I think he’s capable against right-handed pitchers. He’s a good hitter.”
Meanwhile, Trent Grisham, recovering from a right hamstring strain, is expected to start his rehab on Tuesday. He might only need a game or two before he rejoins the Yankees during their next homestand.
Before Sunday’s game at Fenway Park, Grisham managed to run the bases again, rounding out a busy weekend of baseball activities.
