Yankees Have Anthony Volpe's Replacement

The New York Yankees' bullpen makeover has received a majority of the attention in the aftermath of the trade deadline, and rightfully so, but the club's acquisition of José Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays could pay major dividends down the stretch as well.

Anthony Volpe's struggles have remained a pertinent topic over the past two months as his play on both sides of the ball has hampered the Yankees.

The 24-year-old is slashing .188/.244/.392 since June 1, resulting in a wRC+ of 73 that's about 27 percent below league average. Defensively, he has logged -6 Outs Above Average (OAA) on the year, which ranks in the fourth percentile per Baseball Savant, while leading the league with 16 errors.

Volpe's never produced at a high level in the majors offensively, making his shortcomings in that area a bit easier to digest, but his sudden ineptitude in the field is jarring. He became the only player in Yankees history to win the Gold Glove Award as a rookie in 2023, and his 14 OAA tied for the sixth-highest total among qualified players in 2024.

While the former first-round pick and top prospect earned some goodwill with a game-tying solo home run in Wednesday night's game against the Rays, it's not hard to see that manager Aaron Boone is starting to lose some patience with him.

The Yankees will continue to do everything in their power to get Volpe back on track throughout the rest of the campaign, but he could use a breather here and there. He may also benefit from some competition at shortstop, which is where Caballero comes into play.

Caballero isn't an upgrade over Volpe at the plate, as he's slashed just .226/.327/.311 in 275 plate appearances this season, but he makes up for it with stellar defense and baserunning.

The 28-year-old has stolen 34 bases, which is tied for the league lead, and his baserunning value as a whole ranks in the 90th percentile according to Baseball Savant. He's also recorded three OAA and two Defensive Runs Saved in 240 innings at shortstop this year, marking a significant improvement over Volpe's production thus far.

Caballero is versatile and has played every position besides catcher, first base, center field and pitcher in 2025, further raising his value.

When it comes to shortstop in particular, however, Caballero should challenge Volpe for his starting job simply based on how each player has performed this year. The latter is still a part of the Yankees' future plans, but the former may provide more to the club in their pursuit of another American League pennant this season.

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