NEW YORK — Jose Caballero is finally playing like the Yankees expected. Three years to the day after his MLB debut, the Panamanian infielder is batting .348 over his last six games, delivering clutch hits and playing the kind of defense that made the Yankees acquire him in the first place.
For the Yankees, the timing is a problem. Anthony Volpe is getting close to coming back.
Caballero has been the starting shortstop while Volpe rehabs a torn labrum in his left shoulder from offseason surgery. That arrangement is ending soon. Volpe continued his Double-A Somerset rehab assignment Friday, playing back-to-back games and testing his shoulder on dives, throws and stolen base attempts.
When Volpe returns, Caballero goes back to the Yankees bench. He said he is fine with that.
“I wish him the best,” Caballero said before Friday’s game. “I hope he’s healthy as soon as he can be. I try to focus on myself and the team and help as much as I can.”
From ice-cold to clutch in six games
The turnaround has been sharp. Through the first two weeks of the season, Caballero was hitting .125 The strikeouts were piling up. The Yankees were winning despite him, not because of him.
Then something shifted. Over his last six Yankees games he has gone 8-for-23. His Yankees season average climbed to .215. Not great by most standards, but a different player from the one who looked lost in April.
On Wednesday he delivered the biggest hit of the Yankees’ week. With the game tied and the Angels series in the balance, Caballero stepped in against Jordan Romano in the ninth and worked through a pair of sliders before lacing a two-run double to center field. The walk-off gave the Yankees a 5-4 win. It also gave the Yankees bench exactly the kind of player Aaron Boone described after the game.
“He loves the action,” Boone said. “And he’s really confident. That’s one of his biggest strengths. He thinks he’s the best player on the field. And that’s an important thing to have and play the game with. It does seem like the bigger the stakes, the more he’s able to dig in.”
Caballero made no attempt to downplay the moment when asked about it. For him, big at-bats are not a burden.
“I like the pressure,” Caballero said. “I like the big moments. I like to contribute to the team. And I did it.”
He also added: “I’m living for those at-bats. I want those at-bats every time I step into the box.”
Volpe is working back, and the Yankees have a plan
Aaron Boone already confirmed the decision. When Volpe is ready, he gets the starting shortstop job back. Boone said so publicly last weekend in Tampa.
Volpe played his first rehab game Tuesday, going 0-for-2. Friday he played again at Somerset. The plan is to build him up gradually, playing Thursday and Friday, resting Saturday and returning Sunday, testing how the shoulder holds up through the full range of defensive movements.
Volpe has described the shoulder feeling normal, which is the first threshold the Yankees need him to clear.
“I’m not thinking about testing it, but then after the fact, you think about how it felt,” Volpe said. “And it just feels normal.”
The Yankees need Volpe to be more than just healthy. His offensive numbers over the last three seasons have been consistently below average. He posted OPS+ marks of 81, 86 and 82 in 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Yankees have maintained that a healthy Volpe will look different. They need that version.
The team’s shortstops have a collective .529 OPS this season, ranking 27th in MLB, per Fox Sports. That number needs to improve regardless of who plays the position.
A crowded infield and a roster decision coming
When Volpe returns, the Yankees will have Caballero, Amed Rosario and Ryan McMahon all competing for limited roster spots. Someone is likely to lose their place.
Caballero was never acquired to be an everyday player. The Yankees brought him from Tampa Bay last season to provide speed, versatility and defensive depth across multiple infield positions. He played shortstop, second, third, left field and right field in 2025. That utility profile is where he fits best.
The recent offensive uptick makes him a more useful piece in that role. A player hitting .348 over six games, stealing bases and making diving plays can contribute off the bench in meaningful ways. A player hitting .125 cannot.
Caballero said he accepts the situation. He knows the Yankees need Volpe’s bat in the lineup and that his job going forward is to be ready when called upon.
“I try to focus on myself and the team,” he said. “Help as much as I can.”
For now, he keeps starting. Volpe keeps rehabbing. The Yankees keep watching both, knowing a decision is coming within the next week or two.
What do you think? Should the Yankees give Caballero more chances at shortstop?
