CLEVELAND — One solution to filling DJ LeMahieu’s third base position is to put him on injured reserve.
The Yankees kept Jon Barty out for 10 days Saturday with what they called a left groin strain (Aaron Boone called it an adductor strain), but he missed Wednesday’s loss to the Marlins. He was injured when he was hit by an infield hit in the 9th inning. .
“I don’t think it’s that serious, but we don’t have a schedule in place,” Boone said between games in a doubleheader at Progressive Field.
The Yankees opted to sign Triple-A infielder Kevin Smith to fill Bertie’s roster spot, but the injury leaves the door open for standout hitter Oswaldo Cabrera to start every day at third base until LeMahieu returns. Now, LeMahieu is nearing a rehab assignment.
When asked how confident he was that Cabrera would take on a day-to-day role, Boone said, “A lot.”
That was especially true on Saturday, when Cabrera’s two-run home run made the difference in a 3-2 win over the Guardians in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
Berti, a utility infielder acquired from the Marlins on the eve of Opening Day, started for the third consecutive game against his former team, where he started with a trio of left-handed pitchers in last week’s game against the Yankees.
The right-handed hitter had 4 hits in 19 at bats (.211) and an OPS of .461 through six games.
Four of Berti’s five starts at third base came against left-handed pitchers, and Cabrera is ready to take those at-bats now.
Cabrera is still a switch hitter, but is more comfortable on the left side and has batted left-handed for most of his at-bats this season.
Still, he progressed to the right side against certain left-handed pitchers, going 3-for-7 at bats, including when he grounded out left-handed pitcher Tim Herrin in his fourth at-bat in Game 1 on Saturday.
“Of course I’m disappointed, because I know what Berti can do for us as a team,” Cabrera said. “But I’ve put in a lot of effort to make sure I’m always ready.”
To make room for Smith on the 40-man roster, the Yankees selected left-handed reliever Josh Maciejewski and brought Ron Marinacio from Triple-A to the bullpen in Smith’s place.
