Oswaldo Cabrera has begun visiting doctors in New York, but there are more left to see before he makes a decision on surgery.
The Yankees utilityman, who broke his ankle in a gruesome play at the plate Monday night at T-Mobile Park, flew back home on Tuesday and then saw the first ankle specialist on Wednesday morning, with an MRI exam on tap.
But Cabrera is scheduled to gather multiple opinions from different doctors, manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday, to figure out exactly how he will proceed.
Boone had said on Tuesday that surgery was potentially “in play” as early as Thursday, but it remains to be seen when that will happen.
If and when Cabrera does undergo the knife, what it looks like in there around his ankle — i.e. if there is any ligament damage or how complicated the fracture is — will determine whether or not he has any chance of playing again this season.
https://x.com/JudgeEnjoyer/status/1922146154524946532
Yankees utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera suffers an ankle injury on May 12, 2025.
“I think everything’s on the table until we get all the opinions,” Boone said Wednesday before a 3-2 win. “And then if we do surgery, what exactly is in there? And then you have a better idea of the timeline.”
In the meantime, Jorbit Vivas got his first start at third base on Wednesday after Oswald Peraza manned the hot corner Tuesday. Vivas had only played second base — where the Yankees seem to prefer him — in the big leagues before Wednesday, but had bounced between both spots in the minors.
“We like what he can potentially be over there,” Boone said. “Just with how he moves, his first step and stuff.”
Oswaldo Cabrera is loaded into an ambulance after suffering an injury on May 12, 2025.
DJ LeMahieu made his first start of the season, batting seventh and going 1-for-3 with a walk while playing second base. The veteran started eight of nine rehab games at second base, and with Jazz Chisholm Jr. sidelined with a strained oblique for at least a few more weeks, LeMahieu is expected to see the majority of his work there at least in the short term. Eventually he could mix in some third base, too.
“Just feel like I want to give him the best spot to try to get that traction going and be successful,” Boone said.
The Yankees are rearranging their rotation slightly to throw their best three pitchers against the Mets this weekend.
Carlos Rodón was already lined up for Friday’s opening showdown against Juan Soto in The Bronx, but behind him the Yankees will skip Ryan Yarbrough’s spot to throw Clarke Schmidt and Max Fried on normal rest on Saturday and Sunday.
“I think that’s the versatility that Yarbs gives you,” Boone said of the swingman who moved into the rotation on Sunday against the A’s. “He’s been so good for us obviously. You can cycle him through with two off days coming. We’ll probably insert him back in that next round. But then kind of gives you some coverage in the next couple series [out of the bullpen], whether it’s a smaller lane in the course of a game or it gives you that length protection too.”
Marcus Stroman, who was still feeling discomfort in his knee when he threw live batting practice last Friday, threw a bullpen session on Monday but seems to be in something of a holding pattern.
“Got through that OK,” Boone said. “Just want to be a little more methodical with the catch play and the progressions and making sure as best we can to get that discomfort out of there.”
