Yankees’ José Caballero eyeing Friday return: What that could mean for Anthony Volpe

Gerrit Cole won’t be the only Yankee to come off the injured list on Friday if José Caballero gets his way. The speedster, sidelined by a broken right middle finger, hopes to be activated for the Bombers’ series-opener against the Rays. If so, Caballero will spend the minimum amount of time on the shelf — his stated goal from the very beginning — after officially hitting the IL on May 12. “That’s my plan. That’s my goal,” Caballero, who began throwing Monday and had already been hitting and fielding, said Tuesday night. “There’s a chance of that, yes, but I don’t know for sure,” Aaron Boone chimed in Wednesday before the Yankees played the Blue Jays. Prior to going on the IL, Caballero had been playing well all-around as the Yankees’ starting shortstop. So well, in fact, that the Yankees optioned Anthony Volpe, their nearly-unchallenged starting shortstop from 2023-2025, to Triple-A on May 3 following the end of a rehab assignment for shoulder surgery. The Yankees promoted Volpe when they placed Caballero on the IL, but Boone said that he expected the latter to be his starting shortstop when he returned. That was before Volpe began making an impact of his own. Asked Wednesday if Caballero will be the starting shortstop once back, Boone simply replied, “He’ll be in there.” So does that mean the job belongs to Caballero? “Look, we still got a couple days to go between that even being an option,” Boone responded, “so we’ll see.” When the Yankees first acquired Caballero from Tampa Bay last summer, they envisioned him as a super utilityman. Boone has noted how valuable his flexibility is numerous times in the months since, and Brian Cashman even said in April that the Yankees planned on Volpe reclaiming the shortstop job. But Caballero has eight Defensive Runs Saved, the most of any shortstop prior to his IL stint, as well as a .259 average, a .720 OPS, four home runs, 13 RBI and 13 stolen bases this season. He was much better offensively over his last 28 games, hitting .305 with an .860 OPS. Those numbers changed the Yankees’ calculus and are now factoring in as they weigh their shortstop options once again. “Yeah, maybe,” Boone said when asked if having Caballero play multiple positions maximizes the Yankees’ roster, “but he’s also played at a level that, to me, has earned the right to be out there at shortstop more often. In the first [41] games that he played in the season, he was playing the best shortstop in the league and doing a lot of things to spark us offensively, too. So it’s important to acknowledge that, but there’s no question that his versatility is a real thing and a real asset, too.” For what it’s worth, Caballero previously said he’s most comfortable playing “everywhere,” but also that it “does help a lot” to play one position every day. As for Volpe, he is coming off a disastrous defensive season in which he played through a torn labrum for most of the year. He has also been a below league-average hitter in each of his first three seasons. That said, the former top prospect and first-round draft pick has always received staunch support from Boone and Cashman, and he’s made the most of his incredibly small sample since being recalled. Heading into Wednesday’s contest, Volpe was batting .294 with a .912 OPS, two doubles, three RBI, two stolen bases, seven walks – perhaps the most notable stat of all for a hitter with a .286 career OBP – and four strikeouts over six games. “He’s looked outstanding,” Boone said, noting the exception of Volpe’s first game back in the majors, an 0-for-3, one-error performance in Baltimore on May 13. “Forget about results or hitting for average. Like that’s five days, whatever. The quality of at-bat has been really good every day.” Boone added that he’s been particularly happy with Volpe’s swing decisions, contact quality, baserunning – another issue for him at times last year – and defense. “He’s played really well, and that’s a credit to him and his physical and mental toughness,” Boone continued. “[He was] dealt a tough little situation, obviously, to start the year rehabbing himself and getting sent down. He’s kind of showing you who he is and what he’s made of.” Yet, it’s possible the Yankees demote Volpe once Caballero comes back. Asked if he could imagine a 26-man roster with both players but Caballero as the shortstop, Boone said, “I could, yeah. We’ll see.” While neither Boone nor Volpe have slammed the door on the infielder manning other positions, the fact of the matter is that he hasn’t practiced, let alone played, anywhere else. Versatility is not on his side. That’s not the case for Max Schuemann, another option for a demotion once Caballero returns. He’s also hit well over limited chances, but he doesn’t have much of a track record in the majors, and the Yankees have invested far more in Volpe. Another option is to demote Spencer Jones. The swing-and-miss issues that plagued the lefty-swinging outfielder in the minors have remained a problem in the majors, and the Yankees expect to see some righties with reverse splits and lefties in their next couple series. That could bode well for the right-handed Volpe and Schuemann, the latter of which can play the outfield.