Oswaldo Cabrera returned to the Yankees' lineup Sunday night for the first time since sustaining a severe ankle injury last May. However, his comeback game was overshadowed by a pivotal fielding error that allowed two runs to score, contributing to the Yankees' 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Cabrera, who went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt that set up two runs in the 10th inning, committed the costly error in the fourth with the game scoreless. With a runner on first and one out, he bobbled a ground ball hit by Willson Contreras, and by the time he threw to first base, it was too late. The inning continued, leading to a two-run single by Caleb Durbin, which extended a pitch count for starter Carlos Rodón and contributed to his early exit after five innings.
This marks another instance where defensive miscues have impacted the Yankees, who committed four errors in a game on Thursday. "When we're not scoring, we just didn't play clean enough here this weekend," manager Aaron Boone commented.
Cabrera, called up from Triple-A on Wednesday as an injury replacement, was making his season debut. The injury, a fractured left ankle with ligament damage, occurred on an awkward slide home during a game in Seattle. Boone had expressed optimism prior to the game, noting Cabrera's hard work in recovery. "He's worked incredibly hard to overcome a really tough injury," Boone said. "He's done it with grace and class and hard work, all while being Oswaldo, which is one of those people that makes the room better when he's around."
The game also highlighted Amed Rosario's platoon splits. The right-handed-hitting Rosario broke up Sonny Gray's no-hitter in the eighth inning, but his performance against right-handed pitching this season (.280 average, .842 OPS in 53 plate appearances) contrasts with his career numbers against righties (.263 average, .671 OPS). Against lefties this season, he is batting .218 with a .665 OPS, while his career numbers against lefties are .293 with a .791 OPS. Boone suggested these splits might be due to small sample sizes. "Small sample, that's what I make of it," Boone said. "He's going to kill lefties, I feel like."
In other team news, Trent Grisham, nursing a right hamstring strain, is expected to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday. His assignment is anticipated to last only one or two games before he rejoins the Yankees during their upcoming homestand. Grisham completed baseball activities over the weekend, including running the bases before Sunday's game.