Caballero remains Yanks' starting shortstop; Volpe available off bench
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MINNEAPOLIS — José Caballero is getting another chance to make the most of his latest opportunity.
Caballero started his sixth straight game at shortstop for the Yankees on Monday night at Target Field in place of Anthony Volpe, who continues to improve after a cortisone injection in his sore left shoulder last week.
A partially torn left labrum has nagged at Volpe since May 3 and was reaggravated Sept. 7. Ruled out Friday and Saturday, Volpe was available off the bench in Sunday’s loss at Boston.
“I expect Anthony to be a full player today,” said manager Aaron Boone. “Yesterday he was probably a limited player if I wanted him. Today I feel he is [good] for whatever role we need.”
Neither Caballero nor Volpe was available when the locker room was open pregame.
Caballero blasted a home run over the Green Monster on Sunday and made a sliding stop of a ball up the middle to throw out a runner at first. Entering Monday’s game, Caballero was slashing .314/.379/.569 in 16 starts since Aug. 9. Seven of his 16 hits in that stretch have been for extra bases, with four doubles and three home runs. Eight of his American League-best 46 steals have come in that stretch.
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“He’s playing great,” Boone said. “We’re at the time of the year where it’s all hands on deck. Everybody’s going to play an important role. You never know on a given day who has the most important role, but I expect them both to play important roles down the stretch.”
Who starts will remain a day-to-day decision.
A 2023 AL Gold Glove Award winner, Volpe has struggled in the field and at the plate this season.
In 141 games, Volpe is slashing .206/.268/.393 with 19 home runs and a career-high 70 RBIs. However, he has just two hits in his past 22 at-bats. His 19 errors are the most in the AL.