Yankees‘ Shortstop Situation Shifts asโข Volpe Struggles,โ caballero Impresses
Bronx, NY – Aโฃ significant shiftโข is occurring in โthe New York Yankees’ infield as Anthony Volpe, once projected as theโ team’s long-term solution at shortstop, experiences a defensive downturn while recent acquisition Jose Caballero โthrives. โฃTheโ Yankees โคtraded for Caballero from theโ Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline,adn he’s quicklyโค making an impact.
Volpe arrived in theโ 2024 season with high โexpectations after demonstrating promising defensive capabilities in โขhis first twoโข years. In 2022 and 2023, he ranked highly in defensive metrics, posting strongโ numbers in combinedโ Defensive Runs โขSaved (DRS) amongโข shortstops. Statcast’s โคOuts Above Average had him tied for seventh โขin โthe league.โค Despiteโ some offensive limitations,โ his power and defensive prowess positioned him as a valuable all-around player.The Yankees โreportedly viewed his trajectory as similar to Dansby โSwanson, who ultimately secured a $177 million free โagentโข contractโฃ after establishing himself โas anโ everyday shortstop on a World Series contender.
However, Volpe’s defensive performance has declined sharply this โฃseason. DRS now rates him as โคroughly average at theโฃ position, while Statcast shows him five runs below par, placing himโค tiedโ forโ fourth-worst among shortstops.He has โฃcommitted 17 โขerrors,matching โคhis career high withโ over a โmonth remaining โฃin โthe season. Only Cincinnati โขReds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (19 errors) โขhasโ been charged withโฃ more โฃerrors this year.
In contrast, Caballero โhas enjoyed a strong โstart to his Yankees career, hitting .286โฃ with a favorable walk-to-strikeoutโข ratio in 15 games. He’sโ also been a significant threat on theโข basepaths, stealing six bases inโข seven attempts, bringing his MLB-leading total to 40 between the Rays and the Yankees. He previously โled the American Leagueโ with โฃ44 stolen bases in 2023, though he was also caught stealing โa league-leading โ16 times.โข While caballero is a โplus runner and versatile defender, hisโฃ career batting line ofโ .227/.313/.337 inโข over 1000 โขplate appearancesโ suggests he’s unlikely โto maintain his current offensive output over a larger sample size.
Despite โคCaballero’s recent success,โ the yankees โฃstill recognizeโข Volpe’sโฃ potential. โthe 24-year-old Volpeโ was considered the team’s future at shortstop, while Caballero, โnearing 29, is established as aโ valuable utility player. The Yankees can stillโ find opportunitiesโข to incorporate โCaballero into โthe lineup alongside Jazz Chisholm Jr. at โsecondโ base and Ryan McMahon at third base.
The team is currently managing โveteranโค outfielder Giancarlo โStanton’s playing time โin right field while โขAaron Judge recovers and regains full throwing strength. Caballero is also expectedโ to seeโค time in the outfield for defensive purposes, notably late in games.
Context & Background:
The Yankees’ search โfor โa consistent shortstop has been ongoingโค since the departure of Didi Gregorius following the 2019 season. They attempted to address theโ position with freeโ agent signings like DJ LeMahieu (who primarily played other โpositions) andโค Isiahโฃ Kiner-Falefa, โคbut neither โestablished themselves as a long-term solution. Volpe, a first-round pick in โขthe 2019 MLB โdraft, represented a homegrown โขanswer to โthe problem.
The acquisition of Jose Caballero reflects the Yankees’ willingness to โexploreโ all options to improve theirโฃ roster, particularly considering their struggles to contend in the American League East. The Rays, known โคfor their strong playerโค advancement and strategicโ trades, saw Caballero asโข a valuable asset โtheyโฃ could leverage for future gains.