BALTIMORE – José Caballero’s fractured right middle finger will not cost him his job as the Yankees’ starting shortstop.
Caballero’s strong performance convinced the Yankees to option Anthony Volpe at the conclusion of his Minor League rehab assignment. While Volpe is returning to the big leagues, manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday that Caballero should reclaim the position when healthy.
“He’s played as well as anyone out there,” Boone said. “So that would be my expectation.”
The Yankees placed Caballero on the 10-day injured list before Tuesday’s game. Boone said Caballero fought the assignment, and he suggested that Caballero might miss the minimum amount of time.
“Hopefully it’s just the 10 days, but we’ll see,” Boone said. “It just depends how he heals up over the next few days. He’s got a small fracture in there, but the tendon and ligaments are all good. So we don’t think it’s going to be long.”
Volpe was expected to join the Yankees for their game against the Orioles at Camden Yards on Tuesday evening. Boone said he expects Volpe to play shortstop regularly in Caballero’s absence; Max Schuemann drew the start on Tuesday.
Caballero returned to New York for an MRI after sustaining the injury diving back into first base during the ninth inning of the Yankees’ 4-3 loss to the Brewers in Milwaukee on Sunday.
The 29-year-old Caballero is slashing .259/.320/.400 with seven doubles, four homers, 13 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 41 games this season. He leads all Major League shortstops with nine defensive runs saved.
“He’s a gamer, man,” Boone said. “He really is. We’ve seen that since he came over last year. [In 2025] he was playing through a finger issue on the other hand that he was able to play through. He’s played through stuff already this season. He’s one of those guys in the room that is really tough.”
Volpe missed most of Spring Training while recovering from left shoulder surgery performed in October.
The 25-year-old Volpe will begin his fourth big league season after being named the Yanks’ Opening Day shortstop in 2023. In 472 Major League games, Volpe has posted a .222/.283/.379 slash line. Last season, he slashed .212/.272/.391 with 19 home runs, 72 RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 153 games.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge recently said he had a 30- to 40-minute phone conversation with Volpe, encouraging him to take the demotion in stride.
“I know he’s going to be more motivated than ever,” Judge said.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. said Tuesday that he has also spoken to Volpe recently.
“He’s built for this,” Chisholm said. “It’s been tough, being hurt and trying to come back from what he’s going through. But he’s built for this, and we both think he’s going to be great.”
In nine Triple-A games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Volpe was 8-for-39 (.205) with one home run, five RBIs and two stolen bases. Also including a nine-game stint with Double-A Somerset, he was 15-for-68 (.221) with eight RBIs and four steals.
“He hasn’t gotten a lot of results yet,” Boone said. “He’s had a number of at-bats and a lot of reps, a lot of playing time, kind of more than a full Spring Training. So hopefully, he’s ready to go and come up here to be a spark for us.”
It’s unclear how the Yankees plan to proceed with Volpe once Caballero is healthy. Boone said the team has “not yet” discussed having Volpe move to other positions.
A 2023 American League Gold Glove Award winner at shortstop, Volpe has appeared in two Minor League games at second base and three at third base, but none since 2021.
“We’ll see what makes the most sense,” Boone said.