NEW YORK (AP) — José Caballero turned an inning-ending double play for the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning, then batted in the sixth.
By the bottom of the seventh, he was on the other team.
In a strange development even for trade-deadline day around Major League Baseball, the Rays shipped Caballero to the New York Yankees — while the teams were still playing each other Thursday afternoon.
Caballero was removed from Tampa Bay’s lineup during the seventh-inning stretch, and the deal was announced after the Yankees nailed down a 7-4 victory in a game interrupted by rain for nearly three hours in the fifth.
“I just saw Caballero in the clubhouse, so that was a little odd,” New York manager Aaron Boone said afterward. “I saw him actually hugging people in the eighth.”
After learning he’d been traded, Caballero exchanged hugs in the Tampa Bay dugout at Yankee Stadium with his Rays teammates and manager Kevin Cash.
Both clubs were active right up until the 6 p.m. deadline, and Tampa Bay sent the speedy Caballero to the AL East-rival Yankees for Triple-A outfielder Everson Pereira and a player to be named or cash.
Pereira played 27 major league games for New York in 2023.
The 28-year-old Caballero has 34 stolen bases this season, tied for most in the majors. He’s batting .226 with two homers and 27 RBIs in 86 games and has started at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions.
Caballero didn’t start Thursday for the Rays but entered in the bottom of the fifth when All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda got injured. Caballero came in to play second base, and Brandon Lowe shifted from second base to first.
Caballero stayed in the game following a rain delay that lasted 2 hours, 45 minutes. But when Tampa Bay took the field for the bottom of the seventh, he came out. Lowe moved back to second base and Matt Thaiss entered at first.
“It’s definitely weird, but you’ve seen it on TV multiple times of people saying goodbye in the middle of the game in these situations,” Lowe said. “It was a little weird to see it happen, but you just kind of put all the pieces together and figure it out for ourselves.”
After the game, Caballero conducted his postgame interview as a member of the Yankees in their clubhouse — after clearing out his Rays locker on the other side of the stadium.
“I was winning today regardless,” Caballero said. “We won the game, I guess. That’s what I feel right now.”
Tampa Bay made two other trades Thursday, acquiring starting pitcher Adrian Houser from the Chicago White Sox and reliever Griffin Jax from Minnesota.
The team obtained catcher Nick Fortes from Miami early Tuesday, after sending veteran catcher Danny Jansen to Milwaukee the previous night.
Zack Littell pitched five scoreless innings Wednesday night for the Rays at Yankee Stadium, then immediately was traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
“It’s been a unique week,” Cash said.
Caballero was acquired by Tampa Bay from Seattle in January 2024. As a rookie with the Mariners in June 2023, he annoyed Yankees ace Gerrit Cole so much the right-hander — sidelined this season with an injury — threw a 97 mph fastball to him that landed high up on the backstop.
Cole’s pitch was in response to Caballero stepping out repeatedly during his first two plate appearances until the pitch clock was down to the 8-second requirement to be in the batter’s box and alert.
“I talked to him for a second,” Boone said. “I said, `We’ve had some battles but I like your game.’ So I think he brings a lot to the table and I think he’s going to be a very useful player for us, just a lot of different things he can do on a diamond and provide a lot of position flexibility.”
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AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
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