José Caballero isn’t just filling in for Anthony Volpe—he’s auditing for the job. With his MLB-leading 49 steals last year, gold-glove-caliber defense, and a newfound power stroke, the 27-year-old is using Spring Training to prove he’s more than a super-utility dynamo. Here’s why the Yankees’ shortstop decision just got infinitely harder.
The ‘Confidence Problem’ That Has Aaron Boone Smiling
“He plays the game with a ton of confidence. Sometimes, I got to try to rein his confidence in a little bit, but it’s a gift that he’s got. When he’s out there, he thinks he’s the best player on the field.”
The quote could easily belong to Jazz Chisholm Jr., the Yankees’ new second baseman and resident highlight-reel machine. But Yankees manager Aaron Boone was actually praising the man who currently owns the starting shortstop gig: José Caballero.
Caballero’s “gift” of unshakable belief is backed by tangible production. Last season he led the majors with 49 stolen bases—a category the Yankees ranked 27th in as a team—and posted elite defensive metrics across four positions. Now, with Volpe recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Caballero has the first extended audition of his career.
That audition began Sunday with a home run off Justin Hagenman in a 6-4 loss to the Mets—one of several power displays that fly in the face of the scouting report labeling him a slap hitter. Caballero himself acknowledged the paradox: “I can hit the ball hard. It’s not always showing in the game, so I’m trying to be more consistent with it.”
Why the Yankees Still Believe in the ‘10th-Man’ Ideal
Even if Caballero dominates in Volpe’s absence—and the 27-year-old is determined to try—the front office’s blueprint still casts him as a super-sub. “Since late last year, when there were questions about whether Caballero should take over for Volpe,” wrote Greg Joyce of NY Post Sports, “the Yankees have believed they are at their best when Caballero is their 10th man and a weapon off the bench.”
That blueprint relies on two prongs:
- Defensive flexibility: Caballero can start at shortstop, second base, third base, or any outfield corner on any given night, keeping the Yankees’ lineup card fluid against lefty-righty splits.
- Late-game lightning: His elite speed, 80-grade contact rate, and all-fields spray chart make him a late-inning pinch-hit/pinch-run dual threat that few teams can match.
In essence, the Yankees view Caballero as this roster’s version of a haiku—small in footprint but maximal in impact. Yet every haiku needs a platform. And right now, that platform is at shortstop while Volpe rehabs.
The Volpe Conundrum: How Much Runway Remains?
Anthony Volpe’s 2025 offseason shoulder surgery (reported by AOL Sports) automatically handed Caballero the Opening Day job. Volpe’s status, however, is less about health and more about performance autonomy.
The former Rookie of the Year runner-up finished 2025 with a 95 OPS+—above-average but below expectations for a cornerstone middle infielder. Meanwhile, Cabrera logged a 112 OPS+ in 95 games despite a .273 BABIP that implies further upside.
The Yankees’ stated plan grants Volpe the chance to “reclaim” the position, but the subtext is impossible to ignore: if Caballero continues his current trajectory—adding consistent power to his verified speed and glove—the Yankees’ hand may be forced into a timeshare or even a full-blown role reversal.
Chisholm & Co.: The Chemistry Experiment
While Caballero auditions at short, the left side of the infield is stabilized by another supremely confident player: Jazz Chisholm Jr.
The two share a history from their Arizona Diamondbacks minor-league days, and that chemistry is already re-emerging in Tampa. “He’s not scared to play his game,” Chisholm said of Caballero. “That’s the best thing about him—he comes out there and he is himself.”
Boone has paired the duo for three consecutive games and plans three more before they depart for the World Baseball Classic. Thatrique is designed to weld a seamless hand-off between defensive positions and base-running instincts—a critical edge in an AL East race that will be won by narrow margins.
(When a reporter asked Boone who was more confident between the two, the manager grinned and answered, “Clarke Schmidt.”)
The Ultimate Analytics Dilemma
Caballero opens the season as a clear front-line starter, but the Yankees’ internal metrics still label him a “complete-your-roster” player—a seventh-inning spark plug off the pine rather than a daily engine.
The reality, though, is thatero starts have a way of rewriting metrics. If Caballero’s power surge carries into April and May, and if Volpe’s rehab timeline stretches beyond Opening Day optimism, general manager Brian Cashman faces a vintage Yankees dilemma: do you stay the course with the expensive known commodity (Volpe) or ride the hot hand that cost nothing in acquisition (Caballero)?
Caballero’s attitude—“That’s out of my control… I control what I can control”—suggests he’s laser-focused on answering the question decisively. One month of data may not tilt the scales, but it can certainly shift the conversation from “who’s hurt?” to “who’s best?”
The countdown to that conversation starts April 1, and José Caballero is already swinging for the fences—literally.
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