In less than two days, the New York Yankees will take on Houston Astros to kickstart the 2024 MLB season. However, ahead of crucial opening day, manager Aaron Boone is short on players to fulfil certain needs. For starters, infield depth on bench has ceased to exist.
After DJ LeMahieu was asked to start the season on IL with concerning foot injury, the New York Yankees have slated utility player Oswaldo Cabrera to start at third base for the initial phase of the new season. Meanwhile, Cabrera brushed aside concerns of pressure to announce his readiness for the big responsibility.
Oswaldo Cabrera Feels Ready To Play Third Base For Yankees On Opening Day!
In what could be deemed as a blessing in disguise for utility player Oswaldo Cabrera, seasoned third baseman DJ LeMahieu is down with a foot injury and will start the season on the injury list. As an infield reinforcement, utility player Oswaldo Cabrera was summoned from the bench to play third base on opening day against the Houston Astros. That being said, concerns over Cabrera being unfit for the role gained momentum recently, largely due to his inconsistencies on the plate. However, coming into this spring, the switch hitter is beaming with confidence. He’s worked with assistant hitting coaches to get his mechanics right. Not only that, Cabrera finished 9-for-24 over his final 11 spring games, excluding the Mexico series.
Further addressing his promotion to opening day, Oswaldo Cabrera said that while he is gutted to lose DJ LeMahieu, he is ready to take up the big responsibility. Cabrera affirmed he trained himself over the off-season enough to be ready for any responsibility as a utility player. Moreover, the switch hitter added that he worked on some stuff on his swing and fetched results of the same during spring. Besides, Cabrera underwent special training for which left-handed pitchers he might hit left-handed against. “I faced a lot this spring training lefty-lefty. All those at-bats, I feel good,” said Cabrera. Overall, the highly touted utility player seems confident in his ability to secure third base in Lemahieu’s absence. It would be interesting to see how he turns up with the bat and maximize his potential as a switch hitter.
Clayton Beeter, Luis Gil Promoted As Yankees Announce Tentative Pitching Roster
In the latest update, the New York Yankees have announced a tentative pitching staff for the opening day roster. Clayton Beeter and Nick Burdi have been awarded the final two bullpen spots. Additionally, Luis Gil was named the fifth starter until Gerrit Cole returned to the starting rotation after a nursing elbow inflammation injury. Additionally, relief pitcher Oscar Gonzalez, who got hit in the eye in Mexico, will start the season on IL. He has been diagnosed with a right orbital fracture.
Yankees Opening Day Bullpen: Clayton Beeter, Nick Burdi, Caleb Ferguson, Ian Hamilton, Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luke Weaver
Yankees Opening Day Starting Rotation: Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil
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