A Yankees roster decision looms with running back Aaron Judge

NEW YORK — Oswaldo Cabrera’s home run Monday night in the Yankees’ 7-2 win over Oakland had a little deeper meaning for him. Before becoming an everyday Yankees player, Cabrera was a teammate of Oakland starter J.P. Sears in Charleston with New York’s A-ball affiliate in 2018.

At the time, Cabrera could barely speak any English after coming to the United States after the Yankees signed the international free agent out of Venezuela in 2015. One of the people Cabrera relied on to learn the language was Sears.

“He was one of the first people around me a lot in Charleston,” said Cabrera. “I would always talk to him and he would always tell me things like, ‘That’s not the thing you’re saying here.'” This is the word we should say instead. That was a really good thing.

“I didn’t know much English at the time. When I was there, I was probably at 3 out of 10 in knowing English. I’m now at 6 out of 10. I’m still working on it. There are still words I’m working on and still I have to use better words in other moments. I know I can improve from where I am now.”

While in Charleston, Cabrera said he was taking English classes offered by the organization when he wasn’t practicing. But what those classes did in terms of having conversations with fellow English speakers was limited. Cabrera said the classes were intended to help players learn how to speak in off-the-field situations, such as what they should say when they are in a bank, how they can make hotel reservations for themselves or family members and how they can order food in restaurants.

Getting to know his teammates was difficult because his command of the language was very limited and he was mainly focused on the things he needed to manage off the pitch. But Cabrera knew he could always turn to Sears to help guide him when he didn’t know something. Sears never judged him. Cabrera was never criticized for using the wrong word. He never made fun of his accent. He was always listening.

Five years later, Cabrera gave all of his interviews in English. To this day, Cabrera credits Sears with making him comfortable speaking his second language.

“I just remember the moments when he helped me,” said Cabrera. “He told me a lot about who he was as a person that he wanted to help me improve. He wasn’t expecting to get anything back for helping me. He was just there teaching me and he didn’t expect anything. He just wanted me to improve. That means he’s a good teammate and a very good person.

“The real conversations I had with my teammates was how I learned English, and it helped.”

As a thank you to Sears, Cabrera hit a home run off his friend. Before the match, Cabrera smiled as big as he could when asked what it would mean if he made one jab out of him and said, “Oh, that would be so much fun.”

Overall, this season has been a struggle for Cabrera. He entered Monday’s game with a score of . 489 and 38, which is 62 percent worse than the average major league hitter. Cabrera has a one-on-one meeting with the hitting coaches on Tuesday to discuss his place on the plate, Yankees hitting coach Dillon Lawson said before Monday’s game.

Lawson said the team has been trying to improve his carry and launch position before he swings trying to make sure he’s in a better position at the point of contact so he can stay across the ball and have a better flight on the ball than he has. season. Prior to Monday, Cabrera had a ground ball average of 50.6 percent and a volleyball average of 38 percent. Both numbers are far worse than the average hitter this season.

The Yankees are hoping that a few mechanical adjustments can be the difference for the batter they need to start hitting better.

Perhaps there is no more wild statistic for this season. Hicks recorded a hit at Yankee Stadium for the first time since September 23, 2022. It was 13 games where Hicks went to the plate in the Bronx and failed to reach base with a hit.

Hicks homed in the seventh to increase New York’s lead to five. It was also his first home run since the day he got a hit at Yankee Stadium. For Hicks, it was a relief for a player who was, statistically, one of the worst hitters in the sport. Going into Monday, only the White Sox’ Lenin Sosa had a worse WRC+ performance than the Hicks 7 — for players who have made at least 60 games this season.

“We’re talking about a guy who didn’t get away with any of this,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “He’s been working his tailss behind the scenes, whether it’s extra strikes, extra work. He’s trying to make it happen. I’m sure none of this was easy. He stood there and battled it every day. Credit to him for continuing to grind. For seeing him deliver results.” On consecutive days – so happy for him to show the flexibility he’s had to have all year.”

Hicks caught his first extra base hit of the season in Sunday’s game against Tampa and hit his second deck no doubt Monday night against Oakland. Two games of production doesn’t mean he’s back to being a productive player, but it’s still a positive for someone who desperately needs something to get his way.

“I feel for him because I know he wants to,” Lawson said. “I know how hard it’s been going through all of this. If he wasn’t doing the work and if he wasn’t doing the early field stuff, I might feel differently. We want him back. He wants that. We’re going to do everything we can to help him. I think part of him is trying to get everything back.” On one swing and one at bat.That’s a tough thing to fight mentally.I think he’s getting better at controlling emotions all over the place as he can stay within himself.He can pass midfield from both right and left handed rather than feeling like he should score 7 runs in home in one fell swoop.

When Boone was asked about Judge’s impending return to the Yankees’ lineup on Tuesday, he had two words to explain the significance: “The MVP is back.”

The Yankees have sorely missed their best hitter. Even when Judge was healthy and in the lineup, the offense was tough. But having him in the lineup over players like Hicks, Cabrera, Willie Calhoun, or Jake Bauers can make a difference.

Late Monday night, the Yankees singled Nick Ramirez, who pitched two innings against the A’s, back to Triple A’s. Technically, the Yankees don’t have to make an extra roster move to add Judge to the roster because teams can carry 14 batters and 12 pitchers. . The only roster rule in force is that teams can only carry a maximum of 13 pitchers. However, it seems unlikely that the Yankees would not replace Ramirez with another new arm given that the team had Johnny Prieto and Clark Schmidt start the next two games. Both pitchers struggled to give the Yankees the length.

If Ramirez isn’t the go-to roster for Judge, the replacement candidates are: Cabrera, who could be sent down to Triple A while he works through some mechanical changes; Oswald Peraza, who can run back to Triple A or put him on IL while clawing his way back from a rolled ankle; Or Calhoun, Hicks or Powers could be assigned to the task.

A similar roster move involving Peraza is the easier option as he has not appeared in a match since May 3, the night he rolled his ankle. Bunn said he was “day in and day out” with Peraza, who was available off the bench in a pinch hitter role. Calhoun has been giving the Yankees some good hitting lately. Powers has some potential with their new swing mechanics and they believe in these changes. Hicks still has three years remaining on his contract. It would be surprising if any of these three got the cut.

Where the roster situation becomes more interesting is when Josh Donaldson and Giancarlo Stanton return from injury. Tough decisions from the Yankees front office are coming at some point. It may not be Tuesday.

(Overhead photo of Oswaldo Cabrera, center, celebrates with a two-run homer against the A’s: Brad Penner/USA Today)