NEW YORK — Anthony Volpe’s rehab clock is over. His time in the minor leagues is not.
With his 20-day window to return from offseason shoulder surgery expiring on Sunday, the Yankees chose not to activate their starting shortstop of the last three seasons. Instead, they optioned Volpe to Triple-A.
The decision, while telegraphed over the past few days, is a stunning and drastic departure from the rose-tinted glasses that the Yankees have always used to evaluate Volpe since his debut in 2023. However, the team never had a viable alternative during that stretch.
That’s not currently the case with José Caballero, a career utilityman, seizing his shot to start at shortstop over the past few weeks.
“We’re off to a really good start, and he’s been right in the middle of that defensively and offensively,” Aaron Boone said of Caballero Sunday before a decision on Volpe had been finalized. “So he’s earned some opportunities there. It’s really as simple as that, and then you’re weighing what’s the best thing for our team moving forward.
“It’s a long season, and we’re in this moment of time that you kind of get trapped in a little bit, but there’s going to be so many opportunities for different guys. The fact is we’re probably as deep as we’ve ever been, and we have real competition for real spots and real roles on the team that we haven’t had at some moments in time, in some portions of [past] seasons.”
It was only a few weeks ago, on April 10, that Cashman said the plan was “always” for Volpe to reclaim the starting shortstop job — which he’s had a near-stranglehold on since becoming a big leaguer — though the general manager noted that the decision would ultimately be Boone’s. But with Caballero turning a slow start around the following day – he was hitting .319 with a .905 OPS, four home runs, 11 RBI and seven stolen bases over 20 games before going 1 for 4 with a swipe in Sunday’s win over the Orioles – the Yankees’ plans have changed.
“We’ll see,” Boone said Sunday when asked if the organization has pivoted from Cashman’s comment. “We’ll continue to talk about that. Again, Josie’s played himself into and earned himself more playing time. I love the idea of José being in that super utility role because he’s so good at it, but you also can’t ignore that he’s played so well defensively at shortstop and has been a real spark for us offensively.”
Boone added that Caballero, who leads all shortstop with seven Defensive Runs Saved, “is playing the heck out of the position.” The 29-year-old is batting .259 with a .711 OPS and an American League-leading 13 stolen bases overall as well.
While Caballero’s quality of contact metrics suggest he’s been a bit lucky and is taking advantage of his speed, he’s gotten results.
Volpe, meanwhile, has been a below league-average hitter over the course of his three-year career. He is also coming off a disastrous defensive season after playing through a labrum tear for most of the 2025 campaign.
The 25-year-old didn’t exactly force the Yankees’ hand during his rehab assignment, either, hitting .250 with a .624 OPS over 13 games split between Double-A and Triple-A.
Now Volpe will continue to toil in the minors despite communicating to the Yankees that he was physically ready for a call-up.
It would not come as a surprise if that work includes reps at other positions. While Boone threw cold water on that idea Sunday, Volpe played a handful of games at second and third at the onset of his pro career. Some versatility could at the very least offer value off the Bombers’ bench should Caballero not relinquish the starting shortstop job this season. Experience at second could also benefit Volpe and the Yankees down the road with Jazz Chisholm Jr. slated for free agency after the season.
There is also the matter of Volpe’s service time, as another 20 days in the minors would delay his first crack at free agency from 2028 to 2029. While the Yankees don’t appear to be motivated by service time manipulation, that could be another consequence of Volpe’s demotion.
The Yankees do appear driven, however, by a shifting approach.
The club, off to a 23-11, first-place start after getting knocked out of the ALDS last October, seems to be operating with more urgency this season. Volpe’s purgatory is the latest example on a list that also includes Luis Gil’s demotion and Elmer Rodríguez’s promotion; keeping Ryan McMahon on a short leash with Amed Rosario producing; giving Ben Rice consistent at-bats against lefties despite re-signing Paul Goldschmidt; and designating Randal Grichuk for assignment, which, along with Giancarlo Stanton’s calf injury, created an avenue for Jasson Domínguez to serve as the Yankees’ fourth outfielder.
The Yankees were also aggressive in promoting their top prospect, George Lombard Jr., from Double-A to Triple-A recently. If the sure-handed 20-year-old continues to hit, he could also factor into the major league shortstop equation in the short-term, though he’s played some third base as well.
“The reality is, we have a lot of really good players competing for roles,” Boone said, “whether it be the position player group, whether it be the pitching, which is a very exciting thing for us.”
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