NEW YORK -- The slumping New York Yankees made a flurry of roster moves Wednesday to bring some life to their roster and compensate for injuries.
Before Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees called up outfielder Estevan Florial and infielder Oswaldo Cabrera, who made his major league debut in New York's 8-7 win, and reliever Ron Marinaccio. To make room on the roster, the Yankees demoted Tim Locastro and Miguel Andujar to Triple-A and placed All-Star closer Clay Holmes on the injured list.
Amid the roster shuffle, infielder DJ LeMahieu told reporters that he would not be going on the IL. LeMahieu said he was fully confident the toe and foot injury he's been dealing with over the past few days would not prevent him from playing during the rest of the season.
"I have very high confidence being good to go the rest of the way," LeMahieu said.
LeMahieu pinch hit in Wednesday's game and said before the win that he would be ready to make a full return on Thursday, adding that he was using orthotics to create some more comfort in his feet and went through a full pregame routine on Tuesday without any discomfort.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he expects to use Cabrera at many positions. Throughout his time in the minor leagues, Cabrera has played second base, third and shortstop, and he began working out in the outfield in Triple-A this season as well.
"He should be able to give us a lot of flexibility," Boone said. "Every day, I expect him to play and be in the mix. We'll just see moving forward with matchups on a given day, and I would expect him to play a good amount."
Cabrera was hitting .262/.340/.492 with eight home runs, 12 doubles, three triples and 10 stolen bases through 208 plate appearances this season at Triple-A. He played third base and went 0-for-4 on Wednesday.
Florial is getting his second trip to the majors this season. In 16 career games with the Yankees, he was hitting .206/.325/.353 over 40 plate appearances. He was hitting .286/.368/.490 with 14 homers, 26 doubles, two triples and 32 stolen bases at Triple-A. He played center field and went 0-for-2 on Wednesday.
The first-place Yankees had lost 11 of their 13 games entering Wednesday. They now are 9-17 since reaching the All-Star break at 64-28.
LeMahieu said the losing streak did not play a factor in the decision to avoid the IL, but that he did feel the absence of not being able to play recently.
"The last three days have been hard to watch and not be a part of it," LeMahieu said.