Josh Donaldson, Giancarlo Stanton return to Yankees roster after optioning 3 to Triple-A

The Yankees optioned Oswaldo Cabrera, Franchy Cordero and pitcher Matt Krook to Triple-A in moves that signaled the impending return of Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson and Tommy Khanle to the roster. Hours later, the Yankees made the move official as Donaldson and Stanton were reactivated from the 10-day injured list and Kahnle came off the 60-day IL.

Stanton and Donaldson had successful rehab appearances in Double-A Somerset on Tuesday. Kahnle also appeared in the game for the Somerset Patriots. 

Donaldson went 1-for-4 with a single on Tuesday night for the Patriots and Stanton went 0-for-3 with a walk. Kahnle threw one inning allowing one hit and a run while walking two batters. 

Yankees Manager Aaron Boone had told reporters in Seattle that the three returning to the active roster for the weekend series in Los Angeles was “definitely in play.” 

Stanton had been out since April 15 with a hamstring injury he suffered while reaching second base and Tuesday marked the first time that he faced live pitches since then.  Donaldson has been dealing with a hamstring strain since April 5 and Kahnle hasn’t pitched yet this season.

Cabrera was the biggest surprise of the three players sent down on Thursday morning in terms of name recognition. The always-smiling Cabrera had become a bit of a mainstay since he made his debut last season and lit a spark under the Yankees. 

While Cabrera had a breakout 44 games last season, he’s struggled to replicate the offensive output this year. He slashed .195/.246/.292 with just nine extra-base hits and 15 RBIs. 

Additionally, he had a .538 OPS and 49 OPS+ in 50 games this season.

Cordero had just been brought back up from the minors on Tuesday during the Yankees’ West Coast trip. He struck out in his only at-bat of his stint with the Yankees this time around. 

Cordero had a strong one-week span in April when he showed off some of his power, but he slashed .148/.179/.389  in 56 major league plate appearances.