The New York Yankees will seemingly have to pivot off their original plans at third base following DJ LeMahieu’s most recent injury.
The veteran exited Saturday’s spring training game against the Houston Astros after tweaking a calf muscle. Though it remains to be seen how serious the injury is and how long LeMahieu will be on the shelf, the 36-year-old admitted he is expecting to miss time.
Because of that, the Yankees have an even bigger battle at the hot corner. For better or worse, LeMahieu was considered the favorite before his injury.
Now, the battle seems to be between two internal options in Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza. As for the new favorite to win the job, Greg Joyce of The New York Post weighed in.
“But with just over three weeks left in camp, Cabrera appears to have the inside lane to getting the majority of reps at third base — even if Aaron Boone would not say on Sunday that it is Cabrera’s job to lose, after LeMahieu acknowledged that a tweaked calf is likely going to cost him time,” Joyce wrote.
This isn’t a major surprise as Cabrera figured to be next in line regardless. Peraza, a former top prospect, is out of options so this does increase his chances of making the Opening Day roster. However, he still needs to prove he can handle Major League pitching given his .612 career OPS.
Cabrera, a fan favorite, brings his most value due to his versatility to play just about every position on the field. Locking him in at third base certainly hinders that development, but the Yankees may not have any other choice.
It remains to be seen if the Yankees will make a move to add a free agent like Jose Iglesias but for now, it appears Cabrera is expected to be the regular starter until LeMahieu returns.
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