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NEW YORK — When Joe Torre was managing the Yankees in the 1990s and 2000s, one of the skippers for the rival Red Sox was the late Jimy Williams. Boston media veterans will tell you that Williams absolutely refused to explain any of his lineup decisions or in-game strategy, pitching moves included.
Anytime someone dared to ask Williams to reveal something before or after games, regardless of whether the decision paid off or backfired, he always growled the same two-word response:
“Manager’s decision.”
That’s not Aaron Boone. He’ll tell you Jazz Chisholm was benched because he’s slumping or explain why he went to Camilo Doval instead of Fernando Cruz after the bullpen decision cost the Yankees a game.
There are questions that can agitate Boone, the ones in which he’s asked to speculate on something. For instance, he wouldn’t even talk about what he’d be considering when it looked like Gerrit Cole’s return from Tommy John surgery would squeeze Will Warren or Ryan Weathers out of the rotation. Boone would always say things often have a way of working themselves out in baseball, and sure enough, that’s what happened:
Max Fried’s elbow injury last week opened up a spot for Cole, who is returning to face the first-place Rays on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
Surprisingly, Boone broke his pattern last week by giving a conjecture. When shortstop Jose Caballero went on the injury list with a fractured finger and 2023-25 starter Anthony Volpe was recalled from Triple-A, Boone was revealing. Out of character, he said that it was his “expectation” that Caballero would remain the starter when he returns an expected short absence, maybe for the minimum 10 days.
It’ll be 10 days come Friday and Caballero has progressed to throwing and hitting in workouts earlier this week.
“There’s a chance,” Boone said prior to Wednesday night’s 2-1 Yankees loss to the Blue Jays.
So what happens when Caballero returns?
It was a small sample size, but Volpe just strung together one of the most impressive five-game stretches in his four seasons as a big leaguer. Between last week’s season debut in Baltimore, an 0-for-3 with an error, and his 0-for-3 on Wednesday night, Volpe finally sprinkled more small ball than slug with whiffs into his game while playing a very steady shortstop.
So, does Caballero remain the shortstop, or will the Yankees change their mind like they did last month when Volpe was close to returning from offseason labrum surgery?
Acquired from the Rays in a July 31, 2025 trade for his versatility and speed, Caballero stole the starting job early this season filling in for Volpe. A few weeks after Yankees general manager Brian Cashman stated Volpe would remain the starter upon return, he instead was optioned to Triple-A.
The reversal of plans was due to Caballero’s outstanding fielding, contributions at the plate and stolen bases, but Volpe’s poor 2025, both hitting and fielding, surely wasn’t forgotten, either.
What about Friday night if Caballero is off the IL for Gerrit Cole’s return from Tommy John surgery?
“He’ll be in there,” Boone said.
What’s that mean?
Caballero will be at short or possibly somewhere else?
“Look, we’ve still got a couple days to go between (Caballero) even being an option, so we’ll see,” Boone added.
Peppered with more questions, Boone once again became surprisingly candid on a speculative topic.
“He’s earned the right to be out there at shortstop more often,” Boone said of Caballero.
Here’s the guess as to what that means:
Caballero’s return sends utility infielder/outfielder Max Schuemann back to Triple-A instead of Volpe ... or Schuemann sticks with Trent Grisham IL’d with a knee injury that forced him out of Wednesday night’s game after four innings. Grisham says that he’s “optimistic” that won’t be necessary but he won’t know until getting results from a Thursday MRI.
If Volpe remains on the 26-man roster, he can get away with being a part-time player who doesn’t play more than one position because Caballero can fill that role. For instance, Volpe initially could get at least two starts a week at short with Caballero also in the lineup playing second, third, left or right.
And if Volpe continues to play like he did last weekend in Citi Field and early this week in the Bronx, then the Yankees eventually may go back to what they envisioned in the winter:
Volpe on short with Caballero creating havoc playing all over.
“I think (Caballero) was playing the best shortstop in the league and doing a lot of things to spark us offensively, so it’s important to acknowledge that,” Boone said. “But there’s no question that his versatility is a real thing, and a real asset, too.”
Volpe is a wild card.
The Yankees waited for three years for development at the plate and the last week offered evidence it’s finally transpiring.
From Opening Day 2023 through last season, Volpe hit in the low .200s averaging 17 homers with way too many strikeouts. His fielding was excellent in his first two seasons, then subpar last season, maybe because he played with a partially torn labrum from May on.
Volpe going hitless with a strikeout facing tough pitching (plus a terrible challenge on a middle-of-the-plate strike) on Wednesday night wasn’t great, but he’s still hitting a decent .250 with seven walks and five strikeouts in 27 plate appearances over seven games.
His walks and strikeouts are what stand out. Last season his K percentage was 25.2, his walk percentage 7.2. Also, he’s hitting more line drives and slightly going the opposite way more like he did when he lined out to right in his last at-bat Wednesday.
“I think he’s looked outstanding,” Boone said. “Take the first day in Baltimore out, the three days in the Mets series and the first two days (against Toronto). Forget about results or hitting for average — that’s five days — the quality of at-bat has been really good every day, (his) swing decisions.
“He’s hit some balls on the screws a handful of times. The baserunning has been excellent. He’s made the plays in the field. He’s played really well, and that’s a credit to him.
I think his just his physical and mental toughness. He was dealt a tough little situation, obviously, to start the year ... rehabbing himself, getting sent down. He’s kind of showing you who he is and what he’s made of. I’m happy for him that he’s come up here with all the noise and everything and he’s just playing baseball and playing really well.”
This is who Volpe was when he was coming up through the Yankees’ system as their No. 1 prospect. This is who he was when he beat out Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa for the starting shortstop job in the spring of ’23 with just 22 games of Triple-A experience and none in the majors.
If this is who Volpe is now, then he could have a future with the Yankees, either as a shortstop, or maybe at second base when No. 1 prospect George Lombard Jr. gets to the majors.
Just 20, Lombard advanced to Triple-A early this season. He could be the Yankees’ starting shortstop at some point next year with Volpe perhaps moving to second. That could be in play because Jazz Chisholm likely will sign somewhere else when he becomes a free agent after the season and chases a nine-figure contract.
How the Yankees handle Caballero and Volpe for the rest of this season, maybe as soon as Friday, is a tough call because feelings will be hurt no matter what they do. Both surely believe that they deserve to be starting.
What should the Yankees do?
What should we make of Volpe’s last Friday through Tuesday?
Was this just a good series and a half?
Maybe not.
His option to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre could have been a wake-up call for Volpe to finally change his game to more small ball and less swinging for the fences.
“Those things can be (a wakeup) at different times for different people,” Boone said. “With Anthony, I’ve always believed in his makeup and who he is and how he goes about things, so I don’t think he needs wakeups or things like that. It was just the reality of the situation at the time.”
Another reality is coming and it’s going to affect Volpe again.
Are the Yankees a better team keeping Volpe as a part-time player over Schuemann?
“We’ll see,” Boone said.
If this past week was a fluke, the Yankees can always send him back at some point, maybe when designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton and left fielder Jasson Dominguez are healthy. Their returns from the IL would send rookie outfielder Spencer Jones back to Triple-A and potentially force the Yankees to decide between keeping Volpe or Dominguez.
No, we’re not going to ask Boone if he’d value an extra shortstop or outfielder.
MORE BY RANDY MILLER
Yankees news: Latest on Trent Grisham’s knee injury; Freakish bullpen findMay. 21, 2026, 7:54 a.m.
Yankees lose starter to knee injury on slideMay. 20, 2026, 11:53 p.m.
The guess is Volpe would survive again because his departure would make starting third baseman Ryan McMahon the backup shortstop. If Jones and Dominguez are back in the minors, the Yankees still would have Amed Rosario and Caballero as outfield options.
Of course, another injury can change things ... maybe Grisham’s.
That’s all speculation for another day though because neither Stanton nor Dominguez will be off the IL in the next few days.
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