Red-hot Oswaldo Cabrera joining Estevan Florial as call-up to reeling Yankees

It may not be the full calvary, but two young reinforcements arrived in The Bronx on Wednesday to help a slumping team in need of a spark.

The Yankees, who had lost 11 of their past 13 games, called up Oswaldo Cabrera and Estevan Florial from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and threw both right into the lineup — Cabrera at third base and Florial in center field — for their series finale against the Rays.

“It’s a long season, you get into the dog days, sometimes a little shake-up here and there is something that can be beneficial and inject something,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game.

In corresponding moves, outfielders Tim Locastro and Miguel Andujar were optioned to Triple-A.

While Florial fills a need in center field, in the midst of Aaron Hicks’ extended struggles, Cabrera can provide defensive versatility and a hot bat. The 23-year-old infielder/outfielder, who made his MLB debut on Wednesday night, has been on a tear since missing two months earlier this season with a shoulder injury. In his last 25 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Cabrera was batting .330 with seven home runs, eight steals and a 1.040 OPS.

“I can’t believe it. This is something that I can’t describe,” said Cabrera, a Venezuela native whose parents were in attendance for his first game in pinstripes. “I’m gonna try to do the same thing I was doing down there [at Triple-A]. Don’t do more than I can. That’s my expectation.”

Cabrera has played almost all of his minor league games at second base, shortstop and third base, but he has also added the corner outfield spots to his repertoire this summer. Boone said he will take advantage of Cabrera’s versatility and bounce him around the diamond.

Even though DJ LeMahieu has avoided the injured list, Cabrera’s presence should provide Boone more lineup flexibility and allow him to give other infielders occasional days off.

“He’s someone we’re really excited about,” Boone said. “We’ve always loved his makeup and really like what he brings to the table as a switch-hitter. Impacts the ball and really is a good infielder wherever you put him.”

Florial, meanwhile, was back for his 13th stint (the first 12 totaling 16 games) with the Yankees over the last three seasons. In the midst of his most consistent season in the minor leagues, in part because he has remained healthy, Florial may get more of a look this time around given that Hicks has struggled mightily, especially of late. The Yankees don’t want to use Aaron Judge in center field too often, so Florial could get a run of starts if Hicks remains on the bench, which he did for a second straight game Wednesday.

“I expect them [Florial and Cabrera] to play and they’ll be in the mix,” Boone said. “We’ll just see moving forward with matchups on a given day. I would expect them to play a good amount.”

Boone said the Yankees had been kicking around the idea of promoting Cabrera and Florial for a couple of days, especially in the midst of a stretch in which they will face a steady dose of right-handed starters. That could mean plenty of action for the switch-hitting Cabrera and left-handed hitting Florial.

But at a time when the Yankees’ offense was mired in a brutal slump, Boone said the two prospects didn’t need to be anything more than the players that got them to The Bronx.

“No one’s expecting or counting on them being the revelation that turns us around,” Boone said. “Go be a part of this team. You’re here because — yeah, sure, we want to spark and get things going offensively, but they’re here because they’ve earned their way here.”

Florial seemed to have already gotten the message.

“I feel like we have a great ballclub here,” Florial said. “Without me, they’d still be great. I just come here to contribute. I come here to help in any way I can. For me, there’s no pressure at all.”