Anthony Volpe return couldn't be coming at worse time for Yankees fans

The New York Yankees are preparing to replace José Caballero with Anthony Volpe as the starting shortstop in a matter of days, but they'll regret doing so. Caballero has been on fire lately, and he might very well just be better than Volpe in general. Yankees fans don't want to see Cabbie lose any playing time, and for good reason.

Besides Caballero's hot bat (.370/.393/.630 with two home runs in the last seven games), he has been doing a bunch of other things that contribute to winning and delight Yankees observers. He's a relentless demon on the basepaths (11 stolen bags already). He's athletic (more so than Volpe) on defense. He's a willing instigator. And, most importantly, he's unafraid of the big moment.

Yankees replacing Jose Caballero with Anthony Volpe right now is not the move

Volpe hasn't done anything to prove that he's a better baseball player than Caballero. If the Yankees stick to their guns — despite Caballero's torrid momentum — and take Cabbie out of the everyday lineup to accommodate Volpe, the only explanation is foolish favoritism.

The Yankees are already being unwise by seemingly expediting Volpe's timeline for return, which was supposed to be, in the words of manager Aaron Boone, a full "spring training" worth of reps in the minors. For some reason, Volpe is now reportedly days away from re-entering the starting lineup despite having logged fewer than 30 at-bats across Double-A and Triple-A this month. What are we doing?

It'll pain Yankees fans to hear this, but the team needs to take a page out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' book here. LA never rushes back any of its players; in fact, the Dodgers have been known to keep guys out for much longer than expected, even once they're recovered (especially pitchers), all with an eye for preserving guys for October.

And so, we repeat, what's the rush here with Volpe? We're not even in May yet. Are the Yankees afraid that Caballero is going to keep killing it, thereby making their Volpe favoritism look even more wrong? Fans are running out of logical explanations.

José Caballero is one of the Yankees' best performers right now

The bottom line is this: The Yankees have the best record in the American League, and Caballero has been a big reason why. Even as Boone deflected a Volpe/Caballero question on Sunday, the skipper admitted that Cabbie has been "right in the middle of us winning a lot of games."

Caballero has become a key part of the fabric of this Yankees team that now sits atop the American League. Don't overthink this. Leave him as the starter, and make Volpe earn his spot back by beginning as a bench utilityman and pinch-hitter.

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