NEW YORK – Oswaldo Cabrera rolled across the Yankees’ clubhouse carpet on Thursday, his left ankle still wrapped in a protective boot as he recovers from surgery performed three weeks ago. His mobility may be limited, but the infielder’s trademark enthusiasm remains intact.
Cabrera sustained a gruesome left ankle fracture on May 12 at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, stumbling toward home plate as he scored on an Aaron Judge sacrifice fly. The Yankees have indicated Cabrera’s injury was likely season-ending, but he isn’t ready to close the book on 2025 yet.
“I want to [play], obviously,” Cabrera said. “I’m not happy to be here and not playing. To be with my guys and watch them, I’m happy to watch what they are doing out there, but I want to be with them outside. That’s my motivation that I have, to do my things to get back sooner.”
Cabrera, 26, opened the season as the Yankees’ starting third baseman. He slashed .243/.322/.308 with four doubles, a home run and 11 RBIs in 34 games.
Asked if it is realistic to see Cabrera return this season, manager Aaron Boone replied: “I think there’s a small possibility.”
“I don’t think we’re necessarily expecting it, but you never know how he heals over the next couple of months,” Boone said. “I know one thing with Oswaldo, there’s not a better person who loves this as much as him. I know he’s going to pour everything into the rehab process and healing.”
As feared when Cabrera slammed the dirt around home plate in agony that he described as “an eight” on the 1-10 pain scale, awaiting an ambulance to take him off the field, the injury was more than just a fracture. Cabrera said there was ligament damage that needed to be repaired, with plates and screws installed.
Ever upbeat, Cabrera described the aftermath with a laugh: “You can see a lot of holes.”
Cabrera said he has been told his recovery is going well, even though he acknowledged being “bored” without nightly games to prepare for. There have been massage appointments, with therapy on deck. The boot should come off in about two months.
As for wheeling around on the scooter?
“So bad. I don’t like it,” Cabrera said. “It is what it is. I have to do it.”
He has been spending time with his family, including participating in wedding planning with his fiancée, Ari Gonzales, whom he proposed to during Spring Training.
“We’ve got more time to think about all of those things,” Cabrera said.
The outpouring of support from Cabrera’s Yankees teammates also remains meaningful. Judge, Anthony Volpe and Boone visited Cabrera in his Seattle hospital room after the injury. Others wanted to check in, but the hospital wouldn’t budge on visitation rules.
“We’re his family,” Judge told The Athletic. “I feel like if you get hurt, someone’s got to be at the hospital for you. I just felt it was important to be there, even if it’s me just sitting in the corner, I’m there for him.
“Even if it’s just having a familiar face, being on the other coast. You’ve got to be there for your teammates, through the good times when everything is going great and through the bad times, when things are going bad. It’s something I know that he would do for me.”
Cabrera reflected warmly upon the gesture, calling it “such a beautiful moment.”
“You see how these guys take care of each other. In those moments, you realize how they love you, and how we care about each other inside here,” Cabrera said. “It’s not just because Judge and Volpe are our leaders; I know if everybody had the opportunity to come that night, they would do it.”