Jose Caballero has taken over as the starter at shortstop for the Yankees, as the team revealed that Anthony Volpe is nursing a partial labrum tear.
Last night we saw his skillset on full display against the Red Sox, Caballero picked up a double, swiped third base, and Ryan McMahon hit into a fielder’s choice to score a critical run.
He’s already stolen 12 bases in 29 games with the Yankees, and while he’s putting up offensive numbers that he won’t sustain, it’s clear that he isn’t a complete zero with the bat either.
With the struggles that Volpe has had and the injury that’s clearly hindered his play, Jose Caballero has become the obvious answer for the team at shortstop for the remainder of 2025.
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The Pesky Jose Caballero Continues To Shine For the Yankees
What the Yankees have needed out of shortstop is someone who can make the plays and provide something of note on offense, and that’s exactly what Jose Caballero has done.
He has +5 Outs Above Average and +3 Defensive Runs Saved at shortstop this season, making him a quality defender capable of helping out the infield defense.
The 28-year-old has been worth +2.2 Offensive Runs on FanGraphs and has 1.6 Offensive WAR on Baseball Reference despite a .668 OPS and 87 OPS+, and that’s due to his elite baserunning.
You’re not getting tons of power or a good hit tool, but you’re getting someone who gets on-base on average once every three trips to the plate who is ready to swipe a base at a moment’s notice.
Despite not being a full-time player, Caballero is 11th in BsR (+5.8) and first in stolen bases (46), as if you extrapolate his numbers over 150 games, he’d be having a historically dominant season on the bases.
The baserunning impact cannot be understated, he created a run scoring opportunity for Ryan McMahon by hitting a double and stealing third base.
It set up the light-hitting third baseman to hit into a fielder’s choice, as David Hamilton forced a throw to the plate that wasn’t corraled by Carlos Narvaez.
That’s a 50/50 play and sometimes those plays result in outs, but fast runners put pressure on defenses to act quickly, making it harder to complete the play.
He’s been hitting 8th or 9th for the Yankees, and his OPS (.668) is higher than both the average eight hitter (.659) and nine hitter (.644) on the season.
Jose Caballero uses his wheels to create the Yankees’ third run of the game! pic.twitter.com/k1mSUP4v80
— Fireside Yankees (@FiresideYankees) September 13, 2025
Jose Caballero isn’t a great player, but he’s a well-rounded one who can produce ~3 WAR value as an everyday shortstop, which is what you’re missing from Anthony Volpe.
The ability to remain a positive on offense while playing good defense at a premium position is often overlooked by fans until they watch extended periods of sloppy defense.
I fully expect Anthony Volpe to take the reigns back from Jose Caballero in 2026 when he’s healthy again, but for now, the team needs to roll with their hot hand and the guy who’s creating runs on his own.