NEW YORK — The Yankees‘ original plan for Anthony Volpe upon activating him from the injured list was for him to return as the team’s everyday shortstop, the role he held the past three seasons. General manager Brian Cashman said that remained the intention less than a month ago.
But that changed in recent weeks as Jose Caballero made a strong case to keep the job with a stellar performance as Volpe’s replacement amid the Yankees’ 23-11 start to the season. Finally, on Sunday, with a decision due on Volpe’s next step after completing the maximum 20 days on rehab assignment, the Yankees chose to option him to Triple A.
“We have to acknowledge, first, how well José has played,” Boone said Monday before the Yankees played the Orioles. “He’s been a key factor in us getting off to a really great start this year on both sides of the ball and the basepaths.
“It’s really as simple as that. It doesn’t change how we feel about Anthony or the kind of player we think he is and will be. But in this moment in time, we felt like this was absolutely the right thing to do.”
Volpe, 25, played most of last season with a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. He regressed from 2024 in nearly all aspects — most glaringly on defense — finishing as one of the least productive regulars in the majors, but he insisted he was healthy.
He underwent surgery on October 14, a week after the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason. Six months later, on April 14, he began his rehab assignment. He is 11-for-44 (.250) with one home run and a .624 OPS in 49 plate appearances across 13 games between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Caballero, meanwhile, entered Monday slashing .316 with four home runs, eight steals and an .884 OPS in 21 games since April 11. The Yankees went 15-6 during that span. Defensively, Caballero, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline last summer, has graded out as one of the best shortstops in the majors this season.
“We have a lot of really good players right now competing for real roles and real spots,” Boone said. “And I think that competition, [I] hope, ultimately is going to be a great thing for us. So right now I think it’s the right choice for us. I think it’s the right thing to do, even for Anthony, and hopefully this gives him even some more time to accumulate those everyday reps and things like that. And we’ll keep evaluating.”
Boone said he spoke with Volpe on Sunday after the club made the decision. Right fielder Aaron Judge also called Volpe in the evening and spoke to him for “30 to 40 minutes.”
“That was tough,” Judge said. “Anthony’s my guy. I know he’s going to be more motivated than ever to come back here. The team’s been doing well; Caballero at shortstop is just doing an amazing job, defensively and offensively. It’s kind of a tough position to be put in. How are you going to change things up?
“But Anthony’s a big piece of what we’re doing here, and that’s moving forward. We got to a World Series with him as our shortstop. He had some big moments for us in the World Series and that playoff run. I’m excited to see him come back here.”
For now, Volpe is a full-fledged minor leaguer for the first time since 2022, his third professional season. He will be Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s everyday shortstop, pushing George Lombard, the organization’s top prospect, to second base and third base. For how long is unclear.
“There’s no guarantees of anything,” Boone said. “The bottom line is things have to happen, not necessarily all on his end, to open up a spot whenever that is.”
