HOUSTON — Oswaldo Cabrera arrived at spring training six weeks ago looking to regain the confidence he lost during a tough 2023 season.
The first few weeks of camp were tough, but it didn’t necessarily help the cause.
But Cabrera has gained momentum at the plate over the last few weeks, and the Yankees will likely rely on him as their third baseman no matter how long DJ LeMahieu is out with a bone bruise in his right foot. Roo’s momentum increased at the right time.
“Obviously you don’t want to see a teammate like DJ go down with an injury,” Cabrera said Monday night before the Yankees left Mexico City. “But I’ve worked hard to be ready for whatever position they need me to play to help the team win. I’m ready. It’s not a new position for me, so I feel ready to take it on. [responsibility]”
The Yankees have seen two different versions of Cabrera since he arrived in the big leagues. One made an immediate impact upon his debut in 2022, and the other struggled through 2023 after opening the season as the starting left fielder.
The 25-year-old said at the start of camp that he was working on regaining his confidence after a season in which the Yankees drafted him to Triple-A three times in an attempt to get him through his offensive struggles. 10 total games in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
On Monday, Cabrera suggested he was regaining his confidence, but said maintaining it is still a daily process. His progress at the plate during camp should help.
Cabrera started 1-for-23 in nine games in the spring and finished 9-for-24 in the final 11 games, excluding the Mexico City series.
“We’ve been working on it since the beginning of spring training,” Cabrera said, referring to his work with assistant hitting coaches Pat Rosler and Casey Dykes. “We’ve been working on a lot of things. It’s not new, but it’s very helpful to me. So I feel like that effort is getting the results we want.”
An additional twist for Cabrera this season is that the switch hitter will meet with the Yankees’ hitting staff before each series to determine which left-handed pitcher he might face. Cabrera still wasn’t sure what he would do Thursday against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez.
“When I was playing in Venezuela, [over the winter], we had a lot of lefty-lefty reps,” Cabrera said. “So I feel good right now. I feel like there were a lot of left-handed versus left-handed matches in spring training this year. I feel good every at-bat.”
