Yankees' Jose Caballero: Enjoys rare power display Tuesday
Rotowire
Caballero went 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk and three total RBI in Tuesday's 13-3 rout over Tampa Bay.
The Yankees tied a franchise record with nine total home runs in the romp, with three different players clubbing two long balls apiece. Caballero was the least likely of those three -- coming into the contest, he had gone 50 games since his last home run and had belted just two over 96 games on the season. The unexpected power display was another notch in what has been an explosive four-game stretch for the utility man. Caballero has started in each of those four contests at three different positions (right field, shortstop and third base) while going a scorching 7-for-15 at the plate with six runs, four RBI and four stolen bases. While he doesn't have an everyday spot in the lineup and is part of a crowded roster, Caballero's hot stretch has made it hard for the manager Aaron Boone to leave him out of the starting nine.
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Yankees' Jose Caballero: Thriving with more playing time
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Caballero went 2-for-4 with a walk, three runs and two stolen bases against the Cardinals in a 12-8 victory Saturday.
Caballero started in right field for the second straight game, as Giancarlo Stanton got another day off. The speedy utility player has taken advantage of the sudden opportunity, reaching base six times over nine plate appearances while swiping four bases. Given that production, he may begin to see his playing time tick up -- in fact, Caballero is back in the lineup Sunday, this time starting at shortstop in place of Anthony Volpe.
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Yankees' Jose Caballero: Starts Friday, swipes two bags
Rotowire
Caballero went 2-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in Friday's 4-3 win against the Cardinals.
Caballero got a rare start Friday, batting ninth and playing right field while the red-hot Giancarlo Stanton got the day off. It was just the third time Caballero has started a contest since he joined the Yankees via a trade with Tampa Bay on July 31. The speedy utility man certainly took advantage of the opportunity by reaching three times Friday and swiping two bases, moving him back alone atop the MLB leaderboard with 37 thefts on the campaign. Despite that impressive total, Caballero has just a .643 OPS on the season, and it's difficult to see him getting more playing time in New York unless an injury or two creates an opening.
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Yankees' Jose Caballero: Shipped to Yankees
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Caballero was traded from the Rays to the Yankees on Thursday in exchange for Everson Pereira and a player to be named later, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
Caballero is essentially a one-category player in fantasy, but he is tied with Oneil Cruz for the league lead with 34 steals this year. In addition to the steals, Caballero has a provided a .226 average, .327 on-base percentage and two home runs in 275 plate appearances. He should serve as a utility player in New York, and it's possible he sees even less playing time after the trade.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: On bench for second straight
Rotowire
Caballero is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Yankees.
Though the Rays remain without Brandon Lowe (foot) and Ha-Seong Kim (back), manager Kevin Cash doesn't appear ready to commit to Caballero in an everyday role in the middle infield just yet. The American League's stolen-base leader will be on the bench for the second straight day Monday, with both of his absences coming against right-handed starting pitchers. The Rays should have a regular spot in the lineup available for the right-handed-hitting Caballero against left-handed pitching, but he may have to settle for more of a timeshare at second base with the lefty-hitting Tristan Gray when Tampa Bay faces righties.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: On bench Sunday
Rotowire
Caballero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Caballero will hit the bench after starting the previous four games, and his outlook for playing time appears to have improved with Ha-Seong Kim (back) and Brandon Lowe (foot) both on the injured list. With Caballero out of the lineup, the Rays will turn to Tristan Gray at second base while Taylor Walls handles shortstop.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Cleared to start Monday
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Caballero (arm) will start at second base and bat sixth in Monday's game against the Tigers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Caballero was scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Twins due to right arm soreness, but he was pressed into action in the bottom of the third inning after second baseman Brandon Lowe (side) exited the contest. He went 1-for-2 with a double and two runs while playing the final seven innings in the field, and Caballero apparently experienced no setbacks with his arm coming out of that contest. With Lowe and Ha-Seong Kim (calf) not ready to return to the lineup for Monday's series opener, Caballero will draw a start in the middle infield alongside shortstop Taylor Walls.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Losing playing time
Rotowire
Caballero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Since the start of June, Caballero is slashing just .137/.290/.137 with a 33.3 percent strikeout rate. The 28-year-old utility player has still been able to provide some semblance of fantasy value during that time by collecting 10 stolen bases, but his ongoing struggles have begun to cost him playing time. He'll be on the bench for the third time in four games Sunday, and his starting opportunities moving forward could mostly be limited to left-handed pitching.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Piling up steals
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Caballero went 1-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases Wednesday against the Orioles.
Caballero has been splitting time almost exactly evenly with Taylor Walls at shortstop since the start of June, though the former drew a start in right field Wednesday. Caballero entered the game tied for the league lead in stolen bases, a title that is solely his following Wednesday's contest, as he now has 27 swiped bags in 33 attempts. His speed is his lone real source of fantasy value, however, as he's gone just 4-for-31 with one RBI and six runs scored across 14 games in June.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Swipes two bags off bench
Rotowire
Caballero walked in his only plate appearance and stole two bases before scoring a run against Boston on Monday.
Caballero began the game on the bench, but he still made an impact on the outcome. The utility man entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning, and in the ninth he walked before stealing both second and third base and coming around to score on a sacrifice fly. Caballero has been in and out of the lineup, starting just twice over Tampa Bay's past five games. However, he's brought value with his speed, as his 23 thefts are tied for most in the majors.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Not in Sunday's lineup
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Caballero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Caballero started the first two games of the series in the outfield and will sit Sunday while in the midst of an 0-for-14 slump. Jake Mangum, Kameron Misner and Josh Lowe will man the outfield from left to right field.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Pops second homer
Rotowire
Caballero went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Astros.
Getting the start in right field, the utility player hit leadoff for the first time all year and ripped a Framber Valdez two-seamer into the Crawford Boxes on the second pitch he saw, but it was all the offense the Rays could muster. The long ball was Caballero's second of the season, and over his last 14 games he's earned his audition at the top of the batting order by slashing .280/.345/.460 with six RBI, eight runs and nine steals.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Caballero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Twins.
Caballero will yield to Taylor Walls at shortstop for the second time in four games. Caballero hasn't notched multiple hits in any of his last eight games, but he's accumulated seven stolen bases during that stretch.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Swipes two bags Tuesday
Rotowire
Caballero went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Twins.
The infielder produced Tampa Bay's final run of the game nearly single-handedly, leading off the seventh inning with a single, swiping second and third base, and then coming home on a Kameron Misner groundout. Caballero is up to 17 steals on the season in 21 attempts, four back of MLB leader Luis Robert and tied for fourth with Elly De La Cruz, but the rest of his fantasy production has been lackluster. Through 44 games, Caballero has one homer, 15 runs and 16 RBI while slashing .244/.324/.358.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Swipes two bags in win
Rotowire
Caballero went 1-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases in Saturday's 4-0 win over the Marlins.
Caballero sparked a four-run fifth inning, leading off with a single, swiping two bases and scoring the game's first run. The 28-year-old has hit safely in five straight games and has tallied nine steals in the month of May. On the season, he's hitting .260 with one home run, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored and 12 steals across 113 plate appearances.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Caballero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Caballero will check out of the lineup after starting five straight games. Three of those starts came at shortstop, and he could see most of his playing time there against right-handers, as the Rays have been scaling back the playing time of the struggling Taylor Walls.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Scores three times in win
Rotowire
Caballero went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored Saturday against the Yankees.
Caballero has seen more action than expected this season in right field due to the Rays' injury issues. However, he was in the lineup at shortstop against a righty Saturday and delivered an impactful performance. Even with inconsistent playing time, Caballero has five extra-base hits and five stolen bases across 44 plate appearances.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Blasts grand slam Wednesday
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Caballero went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Cabellero jumped on the first pitch from Yusei Kikuchi in the first inning, launching a grand slam to give the Rays an early 4-0 lead. It was Cabellero's first home run of 2025, and the 28-year-old has started the season 5-for-19 with four walks, two stolen bases, one home run and seven RBI.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Making first start in outfield
Rotowire
Caballero will start in right field and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Pirates, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Caballero has logged six career innings in the outfield over his two-plus seasons in the big leagues, but he'll be making his first start at an outfield spot Wednesday. Though Caballero still seems to be viewed as a utility player, manager Kevin Cash could continue to explore ways to get the speedy 28-year-old in the lineup while he's putting good plate appearances together. Through three games, Caballero has gone 3-for-6 with three walks, one double, three RBI, one run and one stolen base.
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Rays' Jose Caballero: Leaves after fouling ball off foot
Rotowire
Caballero was removed from Thursday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Tigers after fouling a ball off his foot, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Teams are always overly cautious at this stage of spring training, so it's possible this is nothing to worry about. However, it's not yet clear whether Caballero might need to undergo tests. The Rays should offer an update on his condition shortly.
