Asdrubal Cabrera to begin rehab assignment tonight

Asdrubal Cabrera will begin a rehab assignment tonight with the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies in Richmond. The shortstop is working his way back from a torn ligament in his left thumb.

Cabrera initially injured his thumb while diving for a ground ball off the bat of Marcell Ozuna, and while it looked like a potentially serious injury at the time, Sandy Alderson announced that an MRI revealed no ligament damage. Cabrera was able to pinch hit a couple days later, and was back in the starting lineup only six days after the injury occurred. The good news didn’t last long, though, as Cabrera made it through only two starts before re-injuring his thumb. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to May 14.

Perhaps most concerning is the fact that Cabrera revealed that he was told of a ligament tear in his thumb, contradicting Alderson’s assertions that there was no ligament damage. Considering that the organization has come under criticism for the way they have handled injured players over the past few years, such confusion only adds fuel to that fire.

On the season, Cabrera is hitting .257/.339/.381 with three home runs in 127 plate appearances, numbers that are a far cry from his .280/.336/.474 line from 2016. Jose Reyes will continue to fill in for Cabrera at shortstop, while a combination of Wilmer Flores and T.J. Rivera will handle third base.