Yankees: Jose Caballero is back and resuming his position at shortstop

The New York Yankees have been struggling a bit lately, as evidenced by their lackluster loss to the Toronto Blue Jays last night (Thursday), and one reason for this is the absence of shortstop Jose Caballero.

Not only does the 29-year-old excel on the defensive side of the ball and is having a strong season at the plate, but he also brings speed and chaos to the bases.

And there's good news in the Bronx: Caballero has been removed from the injured list and will be eligible to return to action starting tonight (Friday). The same goes for ace pitcher Gerrit Cole.

The first question that comes to mind is what will happen to Anthony Volpe. One might have thought Volpe would be sent back to Scranton at the AAA level to start exploring other positions in order to become more versatile.

But that won't be the case, at least for now. In fact, as corresponding roster moves, it's Spencer Jones and Yovanny Cruz who are being sent down to Triple-A.

Cruz did what was asked of him, appearing in two consecutive games and doing a solid job. As for Jones, however, it was more difficult for him, as he posted a .167 batting average in 27 plate appearances and struck out twelve times.

Back in New York, this means Volpe will remain in the Big Apple, even though manager Aaron Boone has hinted that Caballero will resume the starting shortstop role. Volpe's future role therefore seems a bit uncertain for now.

As expected, Cruz is optioned to make room for Cole to be activated. Jones is optioned for Caballero to be activated. Boone had said Caballero will return as the SS. Will be interesting to see how the Yanks deploy Caballero and Volpe. https://t.co/crYQm50ldC

— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) May 22, 2026

The other option would have been for Caballero to get some reps at second and third base to give the manager flexibility and give players who need it a break. But that doesn't seem to be the case.

In any case, Boone currently has plenty of options and will be able to play his cards depending on the different situations he faces.

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