Left-hander Cesar Cabral, the forgotten injured Yankee, officially started his minor league rehab assignment with a scoreless inning for High-A Tampa tonight. He walked a batter and got two fly ball outs, plus another on the ground. His 30-day rehab window is now ticking and will expire on June 13th.
Cabral, 24, missed all of last season with a fracture in his pitching elbow. He must spend at least 90 days on the 25-man active roster this year as a Rule 5 Draft pick, otherwise he must be placed on waivers and offered back to his original team (Red Sox). Cabral nearly beat out Clay Rapada for the second southpaw spot in the bullpen before the injury last spring, and the Yankees definitely like him based on the way they’ve talked about him over the last 18 months or so. If Cabral stays healthy during the rehab assignment, they’ll have a decision to make one month from today.