Reds add former Yankees infielder Oswaldo Cabrera amid flurry of roster moves

The Cincinnati Reds had a major roster shakeup ahead of their final home series of the 2026 season. The biggest move, however, was the addition of former New York Yankees infielder/ outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera.

Cabrera was recently designated for assignment by the Yankees, and the Reds claimed him off waivers. In order to free up a spot on the 40-man roster, Cincinnati moved utility player Spencer Steer (wrist) from the 10-day to the 60-day IL. Steer was placed on the injured list at the end of July, and while he's made progress, the Reds had no plans to activate him before the end of the season.

But that's not all. The Reds also recalled pitching prospect Julian Aguiar from Triple-A Louisville and placed fellow right-hander Julian Garcia on the 15-day IL with loose bodies in his right elbow. This will effectively end Garcia's rookie season, but the addition of Aguiar gives Terry Francona a fresh arm to piggyback off Chase Burns' start against the Chicago Cubs on Friday night.

Reds make surprising roster moves and land former Yankees infielder Oswaldo Cabrera

Adding Cabrera is obviously a shrewd pickup on the part of Nick Krall and the Reds front office. Ironically, Cabrera's defensive versatility is arguably his best trait — similar to that of the player who's roster spot he's taking (Steer).

Cabrera has spent most of the 2026 season with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In 122 games with the RailRiders, he was hitting .288/.345/.444 with a 105 wRC+. He has more than 300 Major League games under his belt across five seasons in the bigs with a career .232/.292/.343 slash line, 20 home runs, and 95 RBI. Cabrera has multiple minor-league options remaining, and for the moment, is likely to report to Triple-A Louisville.

Garcia's 2026 campaign will come to a close after 33 appearances and a 3.13 ERA across 46 innings of work. The righty, who made his big-league debut at 31 years old, became an important piece of the Reds' bullpen this season. Garcia's injury sounds similar to the one Hunter Greene suffered this past spring, but if the timelines are consistent, he should be ready for spring training.

Aguiar hasn't been on a Major League mound since 2024. He pitched in seven games that season, but suffered an elbow injury and missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The recovery bled into this season, but Aguiar has since made 12 starts for the Bats this season and owns a 6.27 ERA.

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