Yankees Make Major Decision on Anthony Volpe Amid Injury Return

The New York Yankees waited as long as possible to make a final decision on Anthony Volpe, who is returning from offseason torn labrum surgery.

When the team opened his 20-day rehab window, the expectation was that Volpe would step right back into his everyday shortstop role once healthy. That had been the plan throughout his recovery.

However, things became more complicated for manager Aaron Boone as Jose Caballero continued to excel in Volpe's absence.

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"Caballero is playing the heck out of the position and is playing really well," Boone said. "That complicates it… José has played himself into more playing time. I love the idea of Jose being in a super-utility role because he's so good at it, but you also can't ignore he's played so well defensively at shortstop and been a real spark for us offensively.

"We're off to a really good start,'' Boone added. "[Caballero] has been right in the middle of that defensively [and] offensively. So he's earned some opportunities there. It's really as simple as that [and] then weighing what's the best thing for our team moving forward."

After the Yankees' 11–3 win on Sunday to improve to 23–11 on the season, Boone and the organization made their decision. Volpe was optioned to the minor leagues for now, allowing Caballero to remain in the everyday role while Volpe works his way back into the mix.

Caballero entered Sunday's series finale on a 17-game errorless streak while posting a .935 OPS, making a strong case to remain in the lineup. Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe has struggled in his brief minor league stint.

Through 45 plate appearances entering Sunday, Volpe had just one extra-base hit. He'll likely get another opportunity soon, but giving him more time to find his rhythm while Caballero continues to play at a high level felt like the most logical decision for Aaron Boone.

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 8:04 PM.