Alexander Wilson
The NY Yankees are officially entering the awkward part of the Anthony Volpe and José Caballero situation. Not bad awkward, necessarily. Just real awkward.
Volpe will begin working out at second base on days when he is not playing shortstop, with Aaron Boone saying he spoke to both players about sharing duties at shortstop. Caballero will also bounce around, which tells you the Yankees are trying to keep both involved without pretending the setup will feel clean every night.
“As I’ve told them each, it’s not going to be the perfect scenario on a given day,” Boone said.
Volpe’s path is no longer fixed
The Yankees probably won’t frame it this way, but the admission is pretty big. Volpe came up as the shortstop of the future, won a Gold Glove as a rookie, played through shoulder trouble, had surgery, went through a rehab assignment, got optioned, returned when Caballero fractured his finger, and now he’s getting second-base work.
For a player who once felt locked into one defensive home, the role has started moving around fast.
Volpe is hitting .217/.400/.304 with two doubles, three RBIs, seven walks, and seven strikeouts through 30 plate appearances this season. The on-base number is encouraging, but the bat still has to prove it can hold up over a longer sample, especially after last year’s .212/.272/.391 line over 153 games.
Caballero forced the conversation by playing too well to push aside. Before landing on the injured list, he was hitting .259/.320/.400 with four homers, 13 stolen bases, and the kind of defense that made Boone say he expected him to reclaim shortstop when healthy, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
The Yankees are choosing flexibility over ego
I actually like this move, even if it probably stings a little for Volpe. The Yankees don’t need to protect a title. They need to protect the roster. If Volpe can handle second base, shortstop, and maybe even another spot in time, his value grows instead of shrinking.
Caballero’s versatility gives Boone room to mix matchups and late-game defense, but his best work has come at shortstop. That part matters. The Yankees already had Boone acknowledge Caballero’s claim to the position, and now the second-base work for Volpe makes the whole thing feel less theoretical.
There is still a world where Volpe hits enough to make this simple. If he keeps getting on base, controls the strike zone, and adds defensive flexibility, the Yankees can turn a messy situation into a strength. If the bat slides again, second base becomes less of an opportunity and more of a warning sign.
That’s the edge here. Volpe isn’t being buried, but the Yankees are clearly asking him to adapt. For a team trying to win now, that is exactly how it should be.
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