CLEVELAND — One solution to fill in at third base for DJ LeMahieu is joining him on the injured list.
The Yankees placed Jon Berti on the 10-day IL on Saturday with what they called a left groin strain — Aaron Boone referred to it as an adductor injury — which he suffered legging out an infield single in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s loss to the Marlins.
“I don’t think it’s overly severe, but I don’t have a timeline for you,” Boone said between games of a doubleheader at Progressive Field.
While the Yankees selected the contract of infielder Kevin Smith from Triple-A to fill Berti’s roster spot, the injury creates a pathway for the hot-hitting Oswaldo Cabrera to get everyday starts at third base until LeMahieu returns — which could be coming sooner than later now that LeMahieu is nearing a rehab assignment.
Asked how much confidence he had in Cabrera assuming an everyday role, Boone answered, “a lot.”
That was especially the case on Saturday after Cabrera’s two-run home run was the difference in a 3-2 win over the Guardians in the first game of the doubleheader.
Berti, a utility infielder acquired from the Marlins on the eve of Opening Day, had started three straight games this past week against his former team, which started a trio of left-handed pitchers against the Yankees.
The right-handed hitter was batting 4-for-19 (.211) with a .461 OPS through six games.
Four of Berti’s five starts at third base had come against left-handed starters, but now Cabrera is poised to take on those at-bats.
While Cabrera is still a switch-hitter, he feels more comfortable from the left side and has taken the majority of his at-bats this season left-handed.
Still, he has gone over to the right side against certain left-handers — including in his fourth plate appearance in Game 1 Saturday when he grounded out against lefty reliever Tim Herrin — and has batted 3-for-7.
“Obviously, I feel sad about it because we know the things Berti can do for us as a team,” Cabrera said. “But I’ve been working a lot just to be ready any time.”
To make room for Smith on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated lefty reliever Josh Maciejewski for assignment and replaced him in the bullpen by calling up Ron Marinaccio from Triple-A.
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