Yankees’ Aaron Boone defends Jose Caballero amid outfield struggles

The New York Yankees weren’t the best bunch out there on Thursday. Despite a solid start by Cam Schlittler, New York ended up suffering a 6-3 loss in a series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston.

The Yankees committed not one, not two, not three, but four errors throughout the game. New York had six unearned runs and no earned ones — the first time it happened since 1913.

Jose Caballero did not commit any of those errors, but he also did not look sharp in left field. New York manager Aaron Boone, however, praised Caballero’s versatility instead.

“I think he’s great wherever I put him,” Boone said of Caballero, who gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead with a solo home run that went for 400 feet in the fourth inning (h/t Gary Phillips of NY Daily News Sports).

Boone was more critical of the fielding struggles of his team.

“We just didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball tonight,” Boone lamented, via Bryan Hoch of MLB’s official website. “It’s just not up to the way we’ve been playing, or capable of playing. Ultimately, it was too much to overcome.”

The 29-year-old Caballero finished the game 2-for-4 with a home run and RBI, while avoiding getting struck out. So far in the 2026 MLB season, he is batting .259 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs.

This is Caballero’s second season with the Yankees after he was traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to New York in July of 2025 in exchange for future considerations and outfielder Everson Pereira.