TAMPA, Fla. — Two Yankees infielders were teenagers the last time they played side by side. Back in 2018, on the Class A Kane County Cougars in the Arizona Diamondbacks system, Jazz Chisholm Jr. played shortstop and Jose Caballero manned second base. They were kids trying to survive the minor leagues.
Eight years later, the positions have flipped. Caballero will open the 2026 season as the Yankees’ starting shortstop with Chisholm beside him at second base. The two former Diamondbacks farmhands are reunited in the Bronx, and their chemistry has picked up right where it left off.
“We’re still funny and goofy,” Chisholm said. “But we’re better at listening to each other and everybody else.”
Caballero steps in while Volpe recovers from shoulder surgery
The opportunity exists because Anthony Volpe is recovering from left shoulder surgery. The Yankees’ regular shortstop is not expected back until sometime in May. That gives Caballero at least a month of everyday at-bats to show what he can do.
The 29-year-old from Panama has already proven his value. After the Yankees acquired him from Tampa Bay at the 2025 trade deadline, Caballero hit .266/.372/.456 with three home runs and 15 stolen bases in 40 games in pinstripes. He led all of MLB with 49 steals for the full season, marking the second straight year he topped the American League in that category after swiping 44 bags with the Rays in 2024.
Caballero also showed defensive range at shortstop, second base, third base and even outfield spots. He is under team control through 2030 and signed a one-year, $2 million Yankees deal to avoid arbitration this winter.
Manager Aaron Boone plans to pair Caballero and Chisholm as often as possible during Grapefruit League play. They are expected to start together at least three more games this week before both leave for the World Baseball Classic. Caballero will represent Panama. Chisholm will suit up for Great Britain.
Boone calls Caballero’s confidence a ‘gift’ as shortstop battle heats up
Caballero’s spring audition got off to a strong start Sunday. He homered to left field off Mets starter Justin Hagenman during a 6-4 exhibition loss at Steinbrenner Field. The blast reinforced what Yankees insiders already know about his batting practice sessions.
“I have some power,” Caballero said, though he quickly added, “I’m not a power hitter.”
Chisholm, who saw Caballero’s raw strength years ago in the minors, was not surprised.
“I always thought he had some pop,” the Yankees second baseman said. “He never swung for it in the minor leagues, but I always told him he had a little bit in there.”
Boone offered one of the most telling assessments of Caballero’s makeup. And his words could make the eventual Volpe decision a complicated one.
“He plays the game with a ton of confidence,” Boone said. “Sometimes I’ve got to try to rein his confidence in a little bit. But it’s a gift. When he’s out there, he thinks he’s the best player on the field. You need to have that to be a good big-league player and he’s got that.”
The Yankees believe they are strongest when Caballero serves as their 10th man and a weapon off the bench. But Boone left room for the situation to evolve if Caballero dominates the first month.
“That’s out of my control,” Caballero said when asked about the shortstop dynamic with Volpe. “I control what I can control. I’m going to go out there and do my best every day. They make the decision.”
Chisholm and Caballero set aggressive Yankees targets
The two Yankees middle infielders are not thinking small. Chisholm, coming off a 30-homer, 30-stolen-base season, has already talked about chasing a 50-50 year if health cooperates. Caballero said his stolen base goal for 2026 starts at 50.
When asked about a home run target, Caballero did not commit to a specific number. But he wants to top his career high of nine, set with the Rays in 2024.
“Double digits I would think,” he said.
Their off-field bond adds another layer to the Yankees hopes. Chisholm said the two had a heart-to-heart talk on Saturday about what it takes to perform on New York’s big stage.
“We had a brother-to-brother talk,” Chisholm said. “We hang out a lot off the field as well.”
Bucky Dent adds a classic Yankees touch to infield prep
The Yankees are tapping into franchise history to sharpen their current infield. Earlier Sunday, Volpe spent time with legendary Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent. Their conversation appeared to focus on throwing angles from the hole.
Chisholm also worked with Dent on double play turns and backhanding certain grounders. He then applied those lessons in drills with Caballero later in the day.
That kind of overlap between past and present is what defines the Yankees’ spring training culture. And for Chisholm, the biggest thing he has noticed about his reunited partner is fearlessness.
“A lot of guys get to New York and try to play a different game and not be themselves,” Chisholm said. “He’s not scared to play his game. He’s not afraid to be himself. That’s what helps him with his overall game.”
Boone described Caballero as a player who completes the roster of a winning club, someone who can handle every infield spot, play the outfield and steal a base in a pinch. Whether that role stays as a super-utility weapon or expands into something bigger depends entirely on what happens between now and Volpe’s return.
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