Anthony Volpe apologists have real Jose Caballero argument, but Yankees reality stands

As George Lombard Jr. continues to rest up his sore knee, the New York Yankees have been forced to turn to Jose Caballero as their starting shortstop for the time being. Despite once being a fan-favorite utility player, the speedy Caballero has not been unable to outrun increasing criticism regarding his below-average performance throughout the 2026 season. His play has even resulted in part of the fan base yearning for the return of Anthony Volpe. There's just one major problem: Volpe doesn't offer the same versatility that Caballero has.

While Caballero enjoyed a solid first month of the 2026 season, he has struggled to maintain that level of production ever since. From his poor xwOBA to his inability to hit the ball hard, Caballero ranks as one of the worst offensive players in all of baseball. This makes it especially frustrating considering his skills as a base stealer make him a dangerous weapon to have on the base paths. That's not to say that Volpe was any better on the offensive side, though.  

The Yankees will never have a shortstop impervious to constant criticism. That's just a fact of life. Even Derek Jeter is still catching the occasional stray regarding his spotty defense. But out of all of the players who have put on the pinstripes in the last 20 years, Volpe remains among the most polarizing. And that is for good reason.  

Anthony Volpe should never be the Yankees starting shortstop again, and that's okay 

Certain players are "just not cut out for the bright lights of New York." People say it all of the time, but is it really true? Whether it's the hypercritical media or oftentimes unforgiving fanbase, players that suit up for the Yankees are held to a higher standard. Whether that's fair or not, it is the cold-hearted reality. But does that really affect a player's production to the point that they are demoted to the minors? 

When Volpe first made his debut in 2023, he failed to live up to the enormous hype that had built up around him. But while he wasn't another Bobby Witt Jr. or a must-see showstopping force, he proved to be more than capable at the position and offered solid value for the Yankees. A 2.0 fWAR rookie season in the Bronx is nothing to scoff at. Although he struggled offensively in his sophomore campaign, he showcased enough impressive defensive skills to make him a 3.4 fWAR player. Again, not bad at all.  

That all went down the drain during a forgettable 2025 season and Volpe has struggled to win over the fanbase ever since. With close to 2,000 career at bats, the Volpe we've already seen is likely the Volpe we'll always get. And that's not the worst player in the league, but far from what you'd expect from a Yankees shortstop. Volpe is a 15 to 20 home run guy that'll drive in 60 runs while posting an OPS under .700. That's about the same type of production you could expect from a full season with Caballero. There's just one difference. 

Caballero is exactly the kind of player that just about every team wants on their roster. While he's not exactly a good offensive player, he makes up for his inconsistency at the plate with being a pest to opposing teams. Not only is he capable of swiping 50 bags a season, but he can play all over the field. This makes him hard to gameplan against. As a super-utility player, he has tremendous upside. Unfortunately, as an everyday starter, he just doesn't bring a high enough level of offense to make him nearly as valuable. 

To Volpe’s credit, he has been willing to put in time at second and third base at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to increase his value with the Yankees organization and attempt to become that kind of super-utility player. He's never been as prolific of a base stealer as Caballero, but he does possess similar speed, if not better. This could also make him a better long-term fit in order to stick around with the Yankees. 

Lombard Jr. has shown flashes of brilliance in his limited time with the Yankees. Whether or not he will be able to duplicate that every season is still to be determined. But the club appears to be ready to take their chances and ride with him at short moving forward. That means that Volpe has to adapt or he'll be on the outside looking in. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow