Alexander Wilson
The Yankees are already testing the most interesting version of their Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero puzzle.
Monday’s official lineup had Volpe at shortstop and Caballero at third base against Kansas City, with Ryan McMahon out of the starting group. That detail matters because the Yankees are choosing flexibility over clean labels, at least for one night.
Aaron Boone basically warned this was coming. When discussing the plan for Volpe and Caballero, he said, “it’s not going to be the perfect scenario” on a given day. Monday is exactly what that looks like in real time.
Volpe gets the cleanest path back
The Yankees are giving Volpe the cleanest defensive path possible by letting him play shortstop instead of asking him to learn another spot on the fly. I understand it. If the organization still believes there is a real version of Volpe that can help this team, shortstop is where he is most comfortable.
The bat has at least given Boone a reason to keep him in the mix. Volpe is hitting .217/.400/.304 with two doubles, three RBIs, seven walks, and seven strikeouts through 30 plate appearances. The slugging still is not there, but the on-base work is a real change from the version that looked lost before the shoulder surgery and Triple-A reset.
The Yankees need to be careful here. A few good at-bats do not erase Caballero’s work at shortstop, and they do not erase Volpe’s rough 2025 season. But they are enough to justify another look, especially if the alternative is forcing McMahon’s cold bat into the lineup every night.
Caballero moving to third is less about punishing him and more about using the one thing that makes him so valuable: he can move around without the whole defense falling apart.
Caballero is becoming the infield lever
Caballero has earned more respect than a normal utility label. He is hitting .261/.318/.394 with four homers and 13 stolen bases, and he has already logged 365 innings at shortstop. Boone previously acknowledged that Caballero had earned the right to play shortstop more often, which is why this alignment is so interesting.
If Caballero can handle third base cleanly, the Yankees get to test Volpe at shortstop without completely sacrificing Caballero’s energy, speed, and defensive value. That matters even more because McMahon’s bat has become a real problem, and the Yankees cannot keep giving away at-bats from a corner infield spot.
I would still be careful about taking shortstop away from Caballero too quickly. He stabilized the position before the finger injury, and the Yankees looked more athletic with him there. But this is the exact kind of alignment Boone can use to find out whether Volpe’s offensive adjustment has legs.
The Yankees are not picking a forever answer on Monday. They are stress-testing the infield. If Volpe keeps controlling the zone and Caballero proves he can slide to third without issue, Boone may have found a more flexible setup than the one he had last week. If Volpe’s bat fades, the conversation swings right back toward Caballero at shortstop and a much harder look at third base.
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