Yankees' Jose Caballero: Appears in game off bench
Rotowire
Caballero (elbow) entered Thursday's game against the Rangers as a defensive replacement and fouled out in his lone plate appearance.
Caballero didn't start the game due to some swelling in his left elbow as a result of a hit-by-pitch Wednesday. He's fine, though, and is expected to be available to play Friday as the Yankees open up a road trip in Milwaukee.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Sitting out after hit-by-pitch
Rotowire
Caballero (elbow) is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rangers.
Caballero was hit on the left elbow by a pitch in Wednesday's loss to the Rangers. He was able to stay in that contest, but with it being a day game Thursday and Caballero dealing with some swelling, he'll get some rest to heal up. Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects Caballero to be available off the bench, per Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record. Max Schuemann will draw the start at shortstop and hit eighth.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Sticking as starting shortstop
Rotowire
Caballero appears to have earned himself an extended run as the Yankees' primary shortstop after the team reinstated Anthony Volpe (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
General manager Brian Cashman said April 10 that the Yankees' goal was for Volpe to reclaim the everyday shortstop job once healthy enough to do so, but that plan appears to have shifted with Volpe being optioned to Triple-A at the conclusion of his 20-day rehab window. Caballero has put himself in position to hang onto Volpe's former role with a strong start to the season, as he leads MLB shortstops with seven defensive runs saved while posting a serviceable .259/.306/.405 slash line to go along with four home runs, 15 runs, 12 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 33 games. Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Caballero's seizing of the lead shortstop role Sunday, noting that the speedy veteran has "played himself into and earned himself more playing time." However, Boone also left the door open for Caballero to move back into a super-utility role down the road, so the 29-year-old may need to maintain his current level of performance to ensure he holds off Volpe for the job for the rest of the season. For now, fantasy managers who have enjoyed Caballero's contributions on the basepaths and his surprising uptick in power should plan on continuing to plug him into lineups with more confidence now that Volpe is at least temporarily out of the picture.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Homer, stolen base Saturday
Rotowire
Caballero went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Saturday's win over the Astros.
Caballero was one of two Yankees who recorded three hits in this win, pushing his hitting streak to seven games in the process. The 29-year-old also made his presence felt on the basepaths with his 10th stolen base of the campaign. During his ongoing seven-game hit streak, Caballero has four multi-hit performances while batting 12-for-28 (.429 average) with two homers, three RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Homers, swipes bag Monday
Rotowire
Caballero went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, an additional run, a double and a stolen base Monday in an 11-10 win over the Angels.
Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham homered twice apiece for New York, and the light-hitting Caballero also got in on the fun with a two-run blast to left field in the second inning. The utility man has racked up two doubles and a long ball along with five RBI over his past three games, going 4-for-13 during that span. Caballero also swiped his sixth bag of the season Monday, and he's tied for seventh in MLB in that category.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Notches clutch hits vs. former club
Rotowire
Caballero went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Saturday's extra-inning loss to Tampa Bay.
Caballero twice rose to the occasion late in the game, rapping a double to left field in the eighth inning to produce two runs and adding a run-scoring single in the 10th. It was a much-needed outcome for the speedy utility man, as he entered Saturday having gone just 1-for-26 over his previous eight games. Caballero is dragging around a poor .408 OPS through 48 plate appearances overall, with his five stolen bases representing his lone positive fantasy output. He's likely to lose his everyday role at shortstop when Anthony Volpe (shoulder), who will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday, is ready to be activated.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Getting rest day Wednesday
Rotowire
Caballero is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Athletics.
Caballero started each of the first 10 games this season at shortstop, but he'll get some rest Wednesday. Ryan McMahon is making his first-ever professional start at shortstop, while Amed Rosario will handle third base for the Yankees.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Focused on bat speed over winter
Rotowire
Caballero did some training at Driveline Baseball this offseason, where he focused on increasing his bat speed, Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty of The Athletic report.
Caballero's goal is to get his average bat speed up to 71 mph this season, which is a bit below the league average of 71.7 mph but would be a notable jump from his 69.1 mph average in 2025. The super utility player went deep in Grapefruit League action Sunday against the Mets and believes reaching double digits in home runs in 2026 is a reasonable goal, per Kuty. That would be a career high for Caballero, who popped nine homers in 2024 and five in 2025. The 29-year-old is slated to open the upcoming season as the Yankees' everyday shortstop while Anthony Volpe (shoulder) recovers.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Set to earn $2 million
Rotowire
Caballero agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the Yankees to avoid arbitration Thursday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
Caballero was dealt to the Yankees at the trade deadline, and he enjoyed a strong second half of the season. Across 95 regular-season plate appearances for New York, he managed to hit .266/.372/.456 with 15 stolen bases and three home runs. Caballero projects to be in a bench role when the Yankees' lineup is healthy, though he's likely to get regular at-bats to begin the year with Anthony Volpe (shoulder) sidelined.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Hits fifth homer
Rotowire
Caballero went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Red Sox.
Caballero has been the beneficiary of Anthony Volpe (shoulder) sitting out following the latter's injection to address a partially torn left labrum. Caballero has taken advantage of his extra time, going 6-for-18 (.333) with three extra-base hits and three stolen bases over his last five games. For the season, the speedy infielder has a .233/.332/.345 slash line with five homers, 46 steals, , 35 RBI, 48 runs scored, 16 doubles and one triple across 117 games between the Yankees and the Rays.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Awarded fifth straight start
Rotowire
Caballero will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
With Anthony Volpe (shoulder) remaining out of the lineup after receiving an injection Wednesday to aid healing in his partially torn left labrum, Caballero will cover shortstop for a fifth straight game. The major-league leader in steals with 46, Caballero has pilfered three bags over his previous four starts in addition to going 5-for-14 with two doubles, one walk, two runs and one RBI. Even if Volpe responds well to the injection and is cleared to play during the upcoming week, it's unclear if he would immediately reclaim an everyday role in the middle infield from Caballero, especially if the latter continues to produce in Volpe's absence.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Sitting in second straight
Rotowire
Caballero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Caballero had started three straight contests in the middle infield from Saturday through Monday, but with the struggling Anthony Volpe settling back in at shortstop after a two-game benching, Caballero has moved back into a utility role. Despite being out of the lineup for Tuesday's 5-1 win, Caballero was still able to make an impact with his speed, as he stole his 41st bag of the season after entering the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and drawing a walk in the bottom of the frame.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Jose Caballero: Thriving with more playing time
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Jose Caballero: Cleared to start Monday
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Jose Caballero: Piling up steals
Rotowire
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.
