José Caballero

May 4, 2026

Sticking as starting shortstop

Caballero appears to have earned himself an extended run as the Yankees' primary shortstop, after the team reinstated Anthony Volpe (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Analysis

General manager Brian Cashman said April 10 that the Yankees' goal was for Volpe to reclaim the everyday shortstop job once healthy enough to do so, but that plan appears to have shifted with Volpe being optioned to Triple-A at the conclusion of his 20-day rehab window. Caballero has put himself in position to hang onto Volpe's former role with a strong start to the season, as he leads MLB shortstops with seven defensive runs saved while posting a serviceable .259/.306/.405 slash line to go along with four home runs, 15 runs, 12 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 33 games. Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Caballero's seizing of the lead shortstop role Sunday, noting that the speedy veteran has "played himself into and earned himself more playing time." However, Boone also left the door open for Caballero to move back into a super-utility role down the road, so the 29-year-old may need to maintain his current level of performance to ensure he holds off Volpe for the job for the rest of the season. For now, fantasy managers who have enjoyed Caballero's contributions on the basepaths and his surprising uptick in power should plan on continuing to plug him into lineups with more confidence now that Volpe is at least temporarily out of the picture.