After 9 months, how does Oswaldo feel on eve of debut? 'Can't control my emotions'

TAMPA, Fla. – Oswaldo Cabrera remembers lying in a Seattle hospital room last May, looking up to see Aaron Judge sitting in a chair in the corner. Anthony Volpe and manager Aaron Boone also passed through the doorway. More Yankees wanted to, but the hospital’s visitation rules were strict.

More than nine months after a gruesome left ankle injury ended his season, Cabrera is set to rejoin his teammates on the field. He’s scheduled to play shortstop in the Yankees’ Grapefruit League game against the Rays on Friday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

“I’m so excited. I can’t control my emotions right now,” Cabrera said during the Yankees’ 15-0 rain-shortened home loss to the Twins on Thursday. “Having nine months out of the field, I feel so happy about it. I’m feeling so good right now.”

Cabrera, who turned 27 on Sunday, slashed .243/.322/.308 with four doubles, one homer and 11 RBIs in 34 games for the Yankees last season before he sustained a fracture of his left ankle and ligament damage while sliding on May 12 at T-Mobile Park.

Carted off the field in an ambulance, Cabrera underwent surgery three days later and used a scooter and walking boot upon his return, though he was fielding ground balls by the end of the Yankees’ season.

“It’s been a pretty long road for him,” Boone said. “It’s been exciting to see some of the improvement he’s made over the last few weeks.

“Even after the new year, he got to a point where he was still trying to work to get over the hump. That’s been a challenge. Just talking with the trainers the last couple of weeks, it’s really starting to move for him.”

Cabrera said the hardest part was watching his teammates continue to play and not having the opportunity to be out there with them.

“When you’re in this clubhouse, you feel like part of this family,” Cabrera said. “That was tough.”

Cabrera has filled a utility role for the Yankees over the past four seasons, appearing at every position besides pitcher and catcher. But his Opening Day roster spot is not guaranteed: With Volpe set to begin the season on the injured list while recovering from left shoulder surgery, New York is experimenting to see if Ryan McMahon can slide over as a backup to shortstop José Caballero.

With about three weeks remaining before the March 25 opener against the Giants at Oracle Park, Boone was asked if Cabrera still has time to make the roster.

“I’m not going to rule that out,” Boone said. “We want to pay attention to how he’s doing and be smart about it.”

Belli’s back
Cody Bellinger returned to the Yankees’ lineup Thursday following a bout with back stiffness, logging two plate appearances with a walk while playing four innings in right field.

“We were on defense quite a bit today, so the guys were out there standing around a lot,” Boone said. “Those are the things you’ve got to be used to in Spring Training. With Belli, it didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but it was good to get him back out there.”

Bellinger experienced the back stiffness on Feb. 27, which he described as a recurrence of an issue that pops up occasionally, including early last season when the Yankees were in Pittsburgh.

Adjustments made
Paul Blackburn said he made an adjustment late last year to his arm slot, which he said is responsible for the improved results he showed with the Yankees in September.

Opponents managed just two runs (one earned) on six hits over 10 innings (a 0.90 ERA), with 14 strikeouts and just two walks.

“Last year [with the Mets], there was a little bit of trying to lower the arm slot, trying to get a little more sync and lift on a sweeper,” Blackburn said. “I felt like I was fighting myself a lot there. I didn’t feel like I was myself at all.

“In August, I said, ‘Screw it,’ and went back to how I was, more over the top, more trying to drive the ball down. And when I came here and talked to the pitching guys, that’s where they wanted me.”

Blackburn, who signed a one-year, $2 million deal to return in January, is likely to fill a long relief role in the Bombers’ bullpen. He permitted two runs and three hits in 2 1/3 innings on Thursday, including Luke Keaschall’s third-inning homer.

“I felt like I was nibbling a little bit, which kind of leads to me getting in trouble,” Blackburn said. “I felt good. I felt like the stuff was sharp.”