What Optioning Anthony Volpe Shows Us About the Yankees

For the first time since the New York Yankees decided Anthony Volpe was their Opening Day shortstop in 2023, there's somebody else ahead of him on the depth chart. It has been a long time coming for the player entering his fourth year, who regressed on defense a year earlier and has a career 85 wRC+ in 1,886 plate appearances.

This isn't to say that José Caballero is the perfect option at shortstop, either. Caballero has been a spark plug this season on every side of the ball, with his baserunning, defense, and bat about league average since being traded to the Yankees last year. Even still, his underlying metrics are those of a player who probably won't be hitting like this all year.

He has a .267 xwOBA, .221 xBA, .323 xSLG, 83.6 mph average exit velocity, a 3.5% barrel rate, and 29.4% hard hit rate. All of that equates to a sea of blue on his Baseball Savant page, but the results are the results, and it was the right move to name Caballero the shortstop.

What does optioning Volpe mean?

In many ways, the urgency the Yankees showed with Volpe is similar to what happened with Luis Gil. Gil had an ugly game against the Houston Astros and was booted from the rotation before the plane back home took off. In his place until Carlos Rodon returns is the young pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez, who, on paper, has better stuff than other potential rotation options like Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn.

It looks like the Yankees are going with the players who give them the best chance to win, and unless Volpe unlocks something for the first time in three years, that player is Caballero. Right now, the Yankees offense is rolling, and he has added to a team surging at the plate that is hitting a collective .241/.335/.450 with a 118 wRC+. That wRC+ is fifth in the league.

Caballero himself is hitting .259/.306/.405 with a 99 wRC+. Of course, he isn't here for his bat.

The shortstop has 13 stolen bases and has been something of a wizard defensively. Caballero has 7 Defensive Runs Saved and 2 Outs Above Average.

With how the team is rolling, it would have been a detriment to just boot a player as valuable as Caballero for Volpe. Volpe has underwhelmed in his career despite getting no shortage of opportunities. For years, it seemed like they would never even entertain a shortstop change, and have even gone as far as to sing Volpe's praises whenever their former shortstop faced any critique.

Winning has trumped stubbornness, though. That in itself is as refreshing as the new face in the infield.

Signs it was Caballero's Job

After the game, when Boone was asked about what was going to happen with Volpe, he didn't offer an answer. Eventually, Joel Sherman reported that they were indeed optioning the 25-year-old and that Caballero would keep his job.

There was some indication that Caballero would be the guy they ultimately chose. Boone praised the shortstop after their 11-3 win in which they took the first three games of a four-game set against the Orioles.

"Caballero is playing the heck out of the position and is playing really well," Boone said, according to the New York Post's Dan Martin. "That complicates it. José has earned himself more playing time. I love the idea of José 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."

For now, Caballero has earned the opportunity to sink or swim on his own terms. At some point, Volpe may be back with the team. That won't be today.