NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
As the New York Yankees continued to surge early in the season, owning the American League’s best record after an 11-3 win Sunday over the Baltimore Orioles, they had a big decision to make at the end of the day.
What should be done with shortstop Anthony Volpe, a polarizing figure among the fan base whose rehab assignment is over?
While Volpe rehabbed left shoulder surgery, José Caballero, who was acquired by the Yankees last season, has been doing more than just playing useful shortstop. He has been advancing in key positions in addition to being a soft glove at one of the most important positions on the diamond.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Anthony Volpe of the Somerset Patriots fields during a minor league baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey, on May 1, 2026. (Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto)
As a result, the Yankees made the decision not to have Volpe rejoin the team, but rather to send the 25-year-old to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
“Caballero is playing the position very well and playing very well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees’ victory on Sunday, according to ESPN. “That complicates it.”
YANKEES’ JAZZ CHISHOLM JR CLARIFIES HE WAS NOT USING AIRPORTS ON THE FIELD AMID VIRAL PHOTOS
Caballero has been the Yankees’ primary shortstop in 34 games this season and has done well in regular at-bats, which typically occur toward the back of the lineup. So far he is hitting .259/.306/.405 with a .711 OPS, four home runs and 12 RBIs.
Meanwhile, Volpe was 11-for-44 (.250) during his 13 rehab games in the minor leagues, which were mostly with the Double-A Somerset Patriots.
Volpe ended up undergoing shoulder surgery on October 14, which came after the Yankees were eliminated from the MLB postseason by the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that won the American League pennant.
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe throws the ball to first base for one out during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
But the injury was one that bothered Volpe all season. He received a cortisone shot in his shoulder during the All-Star break, and then again on September 10 after the injury aggravated.
Volpe went on to hit .212/.272/.391 with a .663 OPS in 153 games for New York, hitting 19 home runs and posting a career-high 72 RBIs. However, fans took issue with Volpe’s lack of consistency at shortstop, with 19 errors, the third most among major league players at that position.
Volpe was the Yankees’ first-round pick of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft and, after finding quick success in the minor leagues, debuted in 2023 as the team’s starting shortstop out of spring training.
After hitting 21 home runs, despite hitting just .209 with a .283 on-base percentage, the Yankees liked what they saw from their 22-year-old shortstop, who was also named a Gold Glove that season.
Anthony Volpe of the Somerset Patriots enters the field during a minor league baseball game at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey, on May 1, 2026. (Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
This is not to say that Volpe will spend the 2026 season directly in the minors, but the Yankees are not going to change things while they are still hot.
Meanwhile, Volpe will use his at-bats and reps at Triple-A shortstop to prepare for when the Yankees finally return him to the majors.
