It’s already been quite an injury-riddled season for the New York Yankees, but at least they can expect some good news on Friday. Not only is Gerrit Cole finally returning to the mound for Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Yankees are also getting back shortstop José Caballero. The former Ray was placed on the 10-day injured list last week after injuring his right middle finger on May 11.
Yankees’ Jose Caballero Returns From Injured List
But with Cole and Caballero returning to the roster, the Yankees have to make room for them. After last night’s 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, New York optioned right-handed reliever Yovanny Cruz and outfielder Spencer Jones to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Jones, New York’s number six overall prospect, was underwhelming in his first stint in the Majors. The 25-year-old slashed .167/.259/.167 with four hits (all singles) in his first 10 career games.
Following tonight’s game, the Yankees optioned RHP Yovanny Cruz and OF Spencer Jones to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 22, 2026
Who’s Starting at Short?
It’s great for the Yankees to have Caballero back; but conversely, they now have to decide on who their starting shortstop will be. Anthony Volpe was finally called back up to the team after Caballero went to the IL, and he hasn’t done much to show for it (granted, he only has 30 plate appearances), slashing .217/.400/.304 with 5 hits, including two doubles. It’s also too early to tell whether or not his fielding is back to normal, considering Volpe played through almost the entire 2025 season with an injured labrum.
Unfortunately, neither player is proving themselves to be the easy choice to start at shortstop. Caballero is playing solid defense, hitting .259 with a .720 OPS and 4 homers to go with 13 RBI’s, 18 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Those are very acceptable numbers for a starting shortstop, so if Caballero can keep up this pace, then Volpe will certainly have his work cut out for him.
Platoon Players
The likely scenario is that the Yankees will platoon the two players and hope that the choice becomes clear. In years past, it would be easy to say that Volpe is guaranteed to start no matter what, but this Yankee front office appears to be running a much tighter ship than even a year ago. The Yankees literally chose Caballero over Volpe a few weeks ago, when they decided to let Volpe stay in the minors for a bit longer instead of promoting him following his rehab assignment. Regardless of what they decide to do, it will be interesting to see how Volpe responds to Caballero’s return to the lineup.
Main Photo Credits: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
