DETROIT — The happiest man in baseball has made his long-awaited return to his happy place: the big leagues.

More than a year after he fractured his left ankle and sustained ligament damage in a gruesome scene in Seattle, Oswaldo Cabrera was called up to rejoin the Yankees on Wednesday as a replacement for Ryan McMahon, who landed on the injured list with a throat infection.

Cabrera arrived at Comerica Park roughly two hours before first pitch and had a receiving line of hugs from teammates and coaches as he made his way to the clubhouse.

“I think it’s one of the happiest moments that I’ve ever had in my life,” Cabrera said before the Yankees finished off a series against the Tigers. “Just because I know it’s not been easy, with the injury. But here we are, and I can’t be more happy right now.”

The beloved utilityman, who was not in the lineup Wednesday, had recently caught fire at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, batting .397 with a .967 OPS in 18 June games, having fully shaken off the rust of his long road back from the brutal ankle injury.

And while Cabrera’s defensive versatility will give the Yankees options on how and when to use him — they are comfortable using him in all four infield positions and the corner outfield spots — the overriding sentiment was just an appreciation for having him back in their clubhouse given what he means to it.

Oswaldo Cabrera during a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre game on May 22, 2026. NurPhoto via Getty Images

“Oswaldo Cabrera, that’s as good as it gets,” manager Aaron Boone said. “What he brings every single day from a human being, teammate, friend, competitor, he’s terrific.

“He lives his life with a certain joy that’s infectious. He handled a rough time with grace and class.”

The awful ankle injury — which gutted the Yankees that night at T-Mobile Park last May, at least until Cabrera made them smile when they visited him in the hospital — cost Cabrera the rest of his 2025 season before he returned to exhibition action this spring. He was still getting back into a rhythm by the end of camp, when the Yankees (with a plethora of depth) optioned him to Triple-A.

Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon makes a throw to first against the Reds on June 21, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But Cabrera said he just kept his head down after going to the minor leagues, knowing that it meant he still had more to work on, all while remaining his upbeat self.

“I mean, what else I can do?” he said. “I learned from [former Yankees minor league coach] Julio Mosquera, if you don’t like the position you are in, do better. … I wasn’t thinking about ‘When are they going to call me up, when are they going to need me up here?’ Just trying to get better and work as much as I can to be ready in the moment they need me.”

That work has paid dividends, with Cabrera crediting SWB hitting coach Michael Mergenthaler and former Yankees assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, who he has kept in touch with via text message.

Overall, the switch-hitting Cabrera has been especially impactful from the right side, batting .385 with a .965 OPS in 64 plate appearances. That looms large as the Yankees are in a stretch where they are set to face a steady dose of lefty starters, including three in their four-game set against the Red Sox this weekend at Fenway Park.

“That’s been exciting,” Boone said. “The underlying [metrics] are good on it too. That’s been encouraging. It seems like month over month, he’s just gotten better and more and more into the swing of things.”

And while it is possible the promotion might just be temporary, with McMahon due back next week, Cabrera has a chance to provide a jolt with both his play and his personality.

“I just try to be a good teammate,” Cabrera said. “I’m not trying to be anything else besides a good guy, trying to help the guys in the right way and try to be the guy who supports them in the bad or good moments. That’s why I think I got a really nice relationship with everybody.”