ARLINGTON, Texas — Jose Caballero knew exactly what the question meant. He just was not going to make it easy.
A reporter from NJ.com asked him Wednesday night whether he had been preparing to shift around the field again. Caballero tilted his head.
“Why?” he replied.
The answer came anyway. Anthony Volpe was close to returning. Perhaps by Friday. Caballero took it in. He smiled. He went still for a few seconds, eyes fixed ahead, then let the silence do its work before speaking.
“We’ll see when that happens,” Caballero said. “We’ll see.”
That two-word response said plenty. A player willing to step aside does not answer that way. Caballero has started 30 of the Yankees’ first 31 games at shortstop. He has earned every bit of the confidence behind those words, and Yankees fans can see why.
The case Caballero has built
The Yankees have won 20 of those 30 starts. His 2026 numbers explain why manager Aaron Boone keeps writing his name on the lineup card.
Caballero is batting .267 on the season. That sits second among Yankees position players, just behind Ben Rice’s .327. Zoom in on his last 18 games and it gets sharper. He is hitting .338 in that span. Four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, seven stolen bases. He has been the hottest bat in the lineup.
With runners in scoring position, he is even more reliable. Caballero’s .333 mark in those situations is the best on the team among regulars. Only Amed Rosario is above him, at .385 on 5-for-13.
On the bases, nobody in the AL has more steals. He has 12 in 16 attempts. Caballero is the two-time defending AL stolen base champion. He is on pace to make it three in a row.
The Yankees defensive comparison between the two shortstops is equally stark. Caballero has made three errors in 126 chances this season, a .976 fielding percentage.
That puts Caballero 17th among the 27 shortstops who qualify. His Outs Above Average is plus-1. His Defensive Runs Saved total is plus-6, which leads every shortstop in baseball.
Volpe’s 2025 season was a step back across every Yankees metric. He made 19 errors all year, more than any other shortstop in the American League. Caballero’s .963 fielding percentage ranked last among AL shortstops. His Outs Above Average was minus-6. His career fielding percentage stands at .968. He won a Gold Glove in his first season and was a finalist in his second. But 2025 was a clear regression at every defensive level.
After the game, Caballero made his position plain.
“I was always a shortstop until the Rays started moving me around,” Caballero said. “I played short and second, then they put me in the outfield. I was willing to play anywhere then and I’ll play anywhere now. I just want to be in the lineup every day. But if shortstop is the only open position, then I want it. I think any player would say the same thing.”
No outfield glove, no surrender
Caballero also made one thing clear to the Yankees. He does not have an outfield glove. Last season the Yankees used him in left field as well as shortstop after acquiring him from Tampa Bay on July 31. He carried two gloves then. He ditched the bigger one this offseason.
“I used to have two gloves, but I don’t now,” Caballero said. “If I need to, I’ll find one for the outfield.”
That says something. Players who expect to play the outfield keep a glove for it. Caballero does not. He is planning on staying at shortstop for the Yankees.
Boone’s praise and the Volpe question
Manager Aaron Boone was asked before Wednesday’s game whether Volpe would be the starter again the day he comes back. Boone did not say yes. That matters. The Yankees are clearly weighing their options. Nobody in the Yankees camp is ready to commit.
Boone was also asked what Caballero has meant to the Yankees’ 20-11 record. His answer went past the numbers.
“Cabbie is a really good player,” Boone said. “He was such an important addition for us when we got him last year. He does so many things to help you win a game, one of those is being a pest sometimes. I feel like his defense, he made four or five plays in the Boston series that seemed kind of routine and were kind of sneaky, tough plays that he was able to make. He’s just a winning player.”
When the Yankees acquired him from Tampa Bay at the July 31 deadline, Caballero hit .266 and stole 15 bases across 40 Yankees games. He started this season slowly, batting just .140 in his first 12 games. Then something clicked. He got back to playing with the edge and energy his teammates recognize. The hot stretch followed almost immediately.
What this means for Volpe and the Yankees infield
Volpe is on a rehab assignment after labrum surgery. He is expected to be activated within days. When he comes back, the Yankees will have to decide. Do they hand him the shortstop job back? They are not saying. Volpe made 19 errors last season. That led all AL shortstops. His fielding percentage of .963 was the worst in the league. His bat also took a step back in Year 3.
The Yankees will not bench Volpe the day he walks back in. But the weeks after that are an open question. Playing time will follow performance. Caballero knows that. He said it plainly. He wants shortstop. He has played well enough to ask for it.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but as long as I’m in there and helping the team, I’m happy,” Caballero said. “I’m happy to win a game. That’s what I’m trying to do, win baseball games, man.”
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