SEATTLE — In multiple waves late Monday night, many Yankees players and staffers made the trip to Harborview Medical Center to visit Oswaldo Cabrera.
The club’s third baseman had just broken his left ankle on a gruesome play at the plate in the ninth inning of the win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, but when the Yankees entered his hospital room, they found the same Cabrera as always.
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“Classic Cabby, he was in amazing spirits and making us feel good and grateful to see us all,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday. “I would say he’s doing great. Honestly, it’s Cabby. He was smiling, happy and trust he’s in good hands.”
Cabrera and the Yankees will get more information in the coming days on what exactly he is dealing with and just how long he will be out.
He flew back to New York on Tuesday, via the Steinbrenner family’s private jet, and will see a foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Justin Greisberg, on Wednesday for more tests and evaluation with surgery potentially in play on Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether Cabrera has suffered any ligament damage in addition to the fractured ankle, but that could become clear during surgery.
Yankees infielder Oswaldo Cabrera suffers a leg injury against the Mariners on May 12, 2025. Getty Images
“All things considered, the early rounds of things, good news considering — they didn’t have to do emergency surgery and things like that,” Boone said. “Hopefully over the next couple days we know exactly what we’re dealing with and start the mending process.
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“If and when they do surgery, they’ll go in there and get a better idea when they’re in there of what exactly is needed and then we’ll see.”
The injury occurred as Cabrera scored on a sacrifice fly, but he had to avoid a tag on a throw up the line, and as he pivoted back toward the plate, his ankle gave out while he reached to tag home.
Head trainer Tim Lentych immediately raced out to Cabrera, who was writhing on the ground in pain and slapping the dirt. Lentych essentially bear-hugged him as other medical personnel called for the ambulance from center field.
The Yankees placed Cabrera on the 10-day injured list Tuesday — strictly a procedural move and likely a precursor to the 60-day injury list — and activated DJ LeMahieu off of it after the veteran infielder missed the first month and a half of the season with a calf strain.
Oswaldo Cabrera is loaded into an ambulance after suffering a leg injury on May 12, 2025. Getty Images
LeMahieu was expected to see the majority of his playing time at second base while Jazz Chisholm Jr. is out with a strained oblique, and Boone reiterated on Tuesday that is still the case, but the Yankees may end up needing him in the mix at third base too along with Oswald Peraza, Jorbit Vivas and Pablo Reyes.
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“We’ll mix and match and see what makes the most sense,” Boone said.
For now, the Yankees were just relieved to see Cabrera – either in the hospital late Monday night, when Aaron Judge and others visited before he was discharged or in the hotel lobby Tuesday morning – after many of them were crushed, distraught and shaken-up in the immediate aftermath Monday.
“He’s my brother,” Oswald Peraza said through an interpreter. “Tough to see, tough injury right there. You never want to experience something like that. … Hoping for a speedy recovery.”
When Boone got to the hospital Monday night, some players and staffers had already been there while others came after. They all seemed to be put at ease by one of the most beloved players in their clubhouse.
“It was Cabby,” Boone said with a smile. “I went into the hospital room, his jersey’s open, IV and everything and he was Cabby. The joy he always exudes was prevalent. It was just happy to see us.”