The Yankees may have turned a pair of home runs into a small nod to a former teammate on September 23.
During New York’s 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Ben Rice and George Lombard Jr. each rounded the bases and followed it with the same grenade toss celebration that Oswaldo Cabrera made his own with the Yankees. The gesture was first flagged by Max Mannis of Jomboy Media, who posted a clip of the two players using the familiar move.
Cabrera’s version of the celebration became part of his identity after he debuted with the Yankees in 2022. During the roll call at Yankee Stadium, the super utility player would mime an imaginary grenade and fling it toward the Bleacher Creatures in the stands.
Rice and Lombard Jr. haven’t said what they meant by their celebration, but the connection is hard to miss. Rice has been Cabrera’s teammate on the Yankees since 2024, while Lombard Jr. spent a few months alongside him in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The timing also fits with where Cabrera’s career stands. When the Yankees activated Clarke Schmidt from the IL on September 16, they needed a roster move to create space on the 40-man.
With his opportunities shrinking, Cabrera was designated for assignment. A few days later, the Cincinnati Reds claimed him.
That move doesn’t erase what Cabrera meant to the organization. He signed with the Yankees in 2016 as a 17-year-old out of Venezuela and didn’t really break through in the minors until 2021, when he posted an .863 OPS in 118 games.
He got his first shot in the majors the next year and quickly became a favorite. Cabrera never played with elite production, but he brought flair, energy, and a personality that stood out. Across five seasons with the Yankees, he finished with a .232/.292/.343 slash line, solid enough to stick around and memorable enough to leave a mark.
So when Rice and Lombard Jr. flashed that grenade toss, it felt less like a random celebration and more like a small salute. And if that was the point, it says plenty about how Cabrera is still viewed inside the Yankees’ orbit.
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