BRONX, N.Y. — When the New York Yankees started Jose Caballero at shostop this season. The message from the front office was clear: Anthony Volpe would take over once he was back from injury.
But they did a U-turn and optioned Volpe to Triple-A on May 3. Then it was announced that Caballero was the shortstop and the former first-round pick needed more reps before he was ready to compete again. The Yankees had moved on from three years of inconsistency at the position.
Three weeks later, that conversation looks very different. Caballero is on the injured list with a fractured right middle finger. Volpe is back. And in five games, he has not just played adequately. He has played like someone the Yankees may no longer be able to send back to the bench.
Manager Aaron Boone said publicly that Caballero gets his job back when he returns. Volpe is forcing the Yankees to wonder if that decision still makes sense.
The numbers behind Volpe’s five-game run
Anthony Volpe was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 13 after Caballero’s injury created an opening. Five games in, his line reads like a misprint. He is 4-for-11 at the plate. He has hit two doubles. He has stolen two bases. He has drawn seven walks against just three strikeouts. He carries a .308 batting average, a .550 on-base percentage, and a 1.012 OPS.
Those numbers are not just better than Volpe’s career baseline. They look nothing like his career baseline. His career walk rate entering 2026 sat at 7.5 percent. His current walk rate is 45.5 percent. His career walks-per-strikeout ratio was 0.30. It is currently 2.33. His career pitches-per-at-bat figure of 4.0 has climbed to 4.7.
Volpe struck out at least 150 times in each of his first three major league seasons, a strikeout rate of 25 percent. Through his first five games this year, the rate sits at 18.2 percent. His on-base percentage in three previous Yankees campaigns never crossed .300, topping out at .293 in 2024. This year it is .508 so far.
These are tiny samples. Walk rates do not stay at 45 percent. Batting averages do not stay at .308. But the underlying changes, more pitches seen, more contact, fewer chases, are the kind of things that suggest a hitter has rebuilt his approach rather than gotten lucky.
Boone’s stated plan, and the U-turn it could face
On Monday, Boone confirmed the Yankees’ organizational position on the shortstop question. Caballero, who told reporters he has resumed baseball activities and expects to be activated on May 22, will reclaim his role when he returns. That had been the team’s stance from the day of Volpe’s option. It remains the stance today.
Volpe is making the Yankees revisit it anyway.
Boone was asked Monday night about Volpe’s performance in his first games back, particularly about the two stolen bases against a Toronto club that does not give up steals easily. The manager’s answer reflected what everyone in the dugout has been watching.
“They’re not an easy club to run against,” Boone said of the Blue Jays. “Anthony did a good job of getting both [stolen bases].”
Boone has also been impressed by what he has seen in the batter’s box. After Volpe struggled during his rehab assignment and started slowly in his first major league at-bats this season, the change in his approach has been notable.
“He’s had more good at-bats,” Boone said. “For the most part, he’s controlling the strike zone the last four days.”
The question is whether the Yankees can really hand the shortstop role back to Caballero, a 29-year-old hitting .259 with a .320 OBP and a .400 slugging percentage in 41 games, when Volpe is producing at Volpe’s current level. The math, in isolation, makes Volpe the better choice right now. The organizational politics make Caballero the announced choice.
The Monday play that captured the moment
In Monday’s 7-6 win over the Blue Jays, Volpe finished with two hits, two stolen bases, and one run scored. The most notable moment came in the fourth inning. After collecting his second hit and stealing third base, Volpe scored on a heads-up slide that beat the tag of catcher Brandon Valenzuela by inches. His left hand crossed home plate just before Valenzuela could apply the glove.
Volpe has long been recognized as one of the more cerebral baserunners in the American League. He reads pitchers’ timing well. He has mastered a primary lead technique that maximizes his jump. The Monday slide was a snapshot of a player using every tool available to him.
Since arriving in the big leagues in 2023, Volpe has scored 213 runs. He had 62 his rookie year, then 92 in 2024, then 65 last year. He is built for the kind of small-ball moments that change tight games. The Yankees beat Toronto by one run on Monday. Volpe was a direct contributor.
On Sunday in Queens, Volpe went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and three RBIs in a 7-6 loss to the Mets. Across the three-game Subway Series, he drew seven walks against just two strikeouts. The patience showed up against varied pitching, not just against one team.
Defense remains the question to monitor
Volpe’s bat is not the only data point that will shape the Yankees’ decision. He committed an MLB-leading 19 errors last season at shortstop. He has already committed one error in his first four games this season and carries a .944 fielding percentage, below his career average of .968.
There is reason for optimism on defense. Volpe underwent surgery in October 2025 to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Yankees believe the procedure should help him return to the form that earned him a Gold Glove Award as a rookie in 2023. Throws that pulled across the diamond inconsistently in 2025 should now have more carry and accuracy.
Why the Yankees may need both
The Yankees sit at 28-19, three games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East with a critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium starting Friday. They cannot afford to weaken the lineup at any position. They also cannot afford to bench a player who is producing.
Caballero played outstanding shortstop while Volpe was rehabbing and then optioned. He has 13 stolen bases. His .320 OBP is solid. He is a defender the Yankees value. Sending him back to a bench role after he was the everyday starter for over a month would be a public statement about Volpe’s transformation.
The most likely middle ground is some kind of split arrangement that keeps both players in the lineup. Caballero can move around the infield. Volpe can stay at shortstop. Boone has options. What he no longer has is the simple answer he had three weeks ago.
Volpe was supposed to be the player the Yankees moved past. The 25-year-old former Gold Glover has spent the last five games making sure that conversation is far from over. May 22 is when Caballero is eligible to return. Between now and then, Volpe gets to keep stating his case.
Who should the Yankees put at shortsop? What do you think?
Volpe needed the pressure put on him by Caballero to believe that he lost the starting job. He looks like a different player since coming back up but they had to be carefull to hand him the starting job back because he would go back to the bad habits.