Jose Caballero was activated from the injured list and started at shortstop in a 4-2 loss to the Rays. Aaron Boone avoided committing to a single everyday shortstop, saying both players will play and that the team will see who receives everyday reps. Boone previously said Caballero earned more time at shortstop based on his early-season performance, including playing at a level he considered among the best in the league. Boone also emphasized Caballero’s versatility as an asset, while acknowledging his utility value and the energy he provided on the basepaths during the final months of the prior season. Caballero’s background reflects a goal of becoming an everyday shortstop.
"“Both guys are going to play,” Boone said Friday before Caballero, who was activated from the injured list earlier in the day, started at shortstop in the Yankees' 4-2 loss to the Rays. Who will see everyday reps at short? Boone answered that by pulling from his verbal quiver the arrow he shoots most frequently: “We'll see.”"
"“Maybe, but he's also played at a level that, to me, he has earned the right to be out there at shortstop more often,” Boone said of Caballero on Wednesday. “I think the first [six weeks] he played in the season, he was playing the best shortstop in the league . . . It's important to acknowledge that. But there's no question that his versatility is a real asset, too.”"
"The defensive versatility Caballero brought to the roster after being acquired before the trade deadline last season, along with the energy his legs brought to the basepaths, unquestionably was a significant asset for the Yankees during the final two months of the 2025 season. But Caballero grew up in Panama dreaming not of one day being a utility player in the majors but an everyday shortstop, something he “earned” (Boone's word) with his play during the first part of this season."
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