Alexander Wilson
The focus has rightfully been on Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon’s impending returns to the rotation, but there’s another piece coming back that deserves attention. Anthony Volpe is just about ready to rejoin the New York Yankees, and the expectation is that he’ll be activated sometime this weekend against the Baltimore Orioles. When that happens, the Yankees get their starting shortstop back after a long road from October shoulder surgery, and Jose Caballero gets pushed back into the utility role that was always his best fit.
The timing is interesting because Caballero, who was one of the worst hitters in baseball through the first two weeks of April, has quietly put together a respectable stretch. You almost feel bad bumping him.
What Volpe Is Coming Back To
The circumstances matter here. Volpe’s 2025 season was shaped significantly by the shoulder injury, and the numbers reflected it in both directions. He hit .212/.272/.391 with an 83 wRC+, 17% below the league average. The defense went from Gold Glove level to a legitimate liability, which was jarring to watch for anyone who had seen him in 2023 and 2024. The labrum explained a lot of it, but it was still a hard year to evaluate with any confidence.
His rehab assignment has been encouraging on balance. Ten games, .303 average, a 92 wRC+ that still reads below average but represents a significant step forward from where he was last September. The shoulder is reportedly feeling better than it has in over a year. If that’s genuinely true, the defensive regression that cost him the Gold Glove should reverse itself quickly, because his instincts and athleticism at shortstop were always elite before the injury broke his throwing mechanics down.
The offense is the bigger question mark. Volpe’s career wRC+ is 83. He’s never been above average as a hitter across a full season. He sells out for power sometimes and sacrifices contact, then overcorrects and sacrifices power for contact. That tension has defined his offensive profile since his rookie year and it hasn’t fully resolved itself. The Yankees are hoping a healthy shoulder gives him the physical confidence to stop compensating and just play his game.
The Caballero Situation
Here’s the thing: Caballero has made this decision harder than it looked in March. After a disastrous start where he was hitting .125 through the first two weeks, he’s quietly built a .267/.313/.400 line with three home runs, 11 RBIs, a 101 wRC+, and a 22.3% strikeout rate over 30 games. He has six defensive runs saved and one out above average across 264.2 innings at shortstop. By almost every metric, he’s been a useful starting player.
The underlying contact metrics still suggest he’s gotten a little lucky offensively, which is worth noting. But production is production, and a 101 wRC+ from a player on a $3 million contract is excellent value by any standard.
Bumping him back to a utility role isn’t a punishment, though. Caballero thrives when he can play multiple positions and stay fresh rather than grinding through a full shortstop workload every day. The super utility role actually extends what he can do for this team over a full season, and with McMahon still inconsistent at third base, having a flexible option who can cover multiple spots without dropping the quality of play is genuinely valuable.
Volpe comes back, takes his job, and Caballero makes this bench significantly better than it was in April. That’s a good outcome for everybody.
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