Well, Spring Training is still going strong, and the Yankees are sitting at an impressive 10-3 record, yet the Yankees are still managing to make their depth situation the biggest talk of the town. Oswaldo Cabrera officially made his return to the diamond on March 6. Let’s take a look at what this means for the 2026 New York Yankees.

My Hottest Take: The Oswaldo Cabrera Problem Was A Choice

When Cabrera got hurt, Jazz Chisholm Jr. had to shift from second base to third base in order to allow DJ LeMahieu to play second, which is still the dumbest move this team made during the 2025 season. You take Jazz, who is a stud at second, and move him to third, where he was still successful, but take DJ and put him at second instead of third, where he is used to playing because he is older. Well, that problem bit them real quick–DJ looked awful at second–and it’s pretty hard to be mad at the player when you know he’s playing out of position, especially when the position he is used to was open. DJ used to be a great second baseman, and I think everyone knows that, but with age comes a slower body and he wasn’t able to keep up with plays that Jazz would have. I can confidently say this position change led to the Yankees losing games they otherwise would not have.

They knew they needed a change, so when it was time to make trades, they did and acquired Jose Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays and Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. Now, the Yankees did get more players than this, but these two are the most important because they are playing a huge role in the 2026 season, as McMahon is the starting third baseman, and Caballero is the starting shortstop due to Anthony Volpe’s injury. Around the same time, they acquired McMahon and Cabellero; they also cut ties with DJ and Oswald Peraza, both of whom added depth to the infield.

The Yankees knew that Cabrera would be back, and in the short time he did play in 2025, I was impressed with what I saw. Now, he is stuck as the backup to every position because of his versatility. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Cabrera and McMahon battling it out for third base at some point in the season.

What You Should Know: Cabrera's Injury Status Makes The Infield An Open Competition

Because of Volpe’s injury, it’s pretty clear that the infield is open game for anyone who proves themselves. First and second base are locked down with Chisholm and Ben Rice, but shortstop and third base are fair game for Cabrera, Caballero, and McMahon ... until Volpe comes back and the competition gets even bigger. The Yankees gave Oswaldo a one-year deal for this season, which shows they want him on the team and see him as playing an important role, even with all the changes they made to their depth. The more positions that Oswaldo can prove he can cover in the field, the more likely they are to keep him on the roster to use him as the “put him where we need him guy.”

Before You Go: Don't Believe Spring Training Love Stories

One last thing, don’t believe everything you hear about the team over the next couple of weeks. When Spring Training is going on, teams will always say players are looking “great” and playing “the best they ever have,” but when they get into the season, there will magically be problems, whether it’s an injury or the player is just not playing up to par at all. The Yankees get 26 men on their roster, so until they can finish evaluating what they have and make all their tough decisions, none of us really know what’s going to happen.

Good news for you, it isn’t your job to figure out what compliments are real and which are fake; it’s mine. As we get closer to Opening Day and the Yankees start making real decisions, we’ll take a look at this again and see if Cabrera is really as important as the Yankees are making him out to be.