Alexander Wilson
The New York Yankees made a move Saturday morning that will sting for a lot of fans: Oswaldo Cabrera has been optioned to Triple-A Scranton, with veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk taking his spot on the Opening Day roster.
Cabrera Runs Out of Room
Cabrera is one of those players the fanbase has always wanted to see get a real shot. The energy, the versatility, the switch-hitting profile.
There is genuine affection for him in New York. But the numbers this spring have been hard to defend. Across 16 at-bats, he hit .143/.250/.214 with a 27 wRC+, drawing a 12.5% walk rate against a 25% strikeout rate. Coming off a severe left ankle fracture that cost him significant time in 2025, Cabrera has simply not been able to find his footing this spring, and the recovery from that kind of injury is not always linear.
In 2025 he slashed .243/.322/.308 with an 83 wRC+ across 122 at-bats, modest production for a utility piece, but enough to show he could contribute when healthy. The ankle clearly changed things. Getting back to that baseline has proven more difficult than expected.
Why Grichuk Gets the Spot
Grichuk, 34, is not an exciting add. His spring line of .125/.125/.188 with a -31 wRC+ across 16 PAs is genuinely rough, and I will be honest, the bat has not been there at all in Florida. But the Yankees are not keeping Grichuk for what he did this March. They want his career .819 OPS against left-handed pitching, his experience in all three outfield spots, and a right-handed presence off the bench that this roster needs given how lefty-heavy the lineup runs.
With José Caballero handling shortstop while Anthony Volpe rehabs and Amed Rosario filling the backup infield role, there was no utility spot left for Cabrera to occupy. The roster math simply did not work in his favor.
He might be back. The Yankees will keep him stashed for a rainy day, but there’s a world where Oswaldo may not see the majors again for quite a while.
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