The Yankees got a much-needed jolt Monday at Tropicana Field, trimming the gap to the first-place Tampa Bay Rays with a 5-1 win and moving to within three games in the American League East. After a rough summer stretch, New York at least looked like a team starting to find its footing again.
Jose Caballero was right in the middle of it. The shortstop went 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs, giving the Yankees the kind of burst they’ve been chasing from the left side of the infield.
That doesn’t mean the club should mistake a hot night for a permanent fix.
Caballero has given the Yankees useful production since arriving in a trade with the Rays before the 2025 deadline. At the time, he was viewed as a versatile piece with speed and a bat that lagged behind. He led the majors in 2025 with 49 stolen bases and paced the American League in 2024 with 44.
With Anthony Volpe starting the season on the injured list after shoulder surgery, Caballero got the chance to hold down shortstop. The 29-year-old has taken advantage in plenty of ways.
He has already set a career high with 10 home runs, stolen 20 bases, and posted a personal-best .711 OPS. He can also move around the infield, which only adds to his value.
But the numbers underneath the surface paint a different picture. Caballero is a lifetime .232 hitter with a .668 OPS, and his .288 BABIP this season ranks 26th among MLB shortstops. Volpe sits 13th at .319.
Caballero’s speed has not always translated cleanly, either. He has grounded into eight double plays this year, with only Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts, who has 10, recording more among shortstops. And while Caballero is second among shortstops with 20 stolen bases, he is also tied for third in caught stealing after being thrown out seven times.
Baseball Savant adds more context. Caballero’s average exit velocity is 84.2 mph, which ranks 27th among all shortstops.
He is also 27th in hard-hit balls, with just 50 of those reaching 95 mph. That doesn’t make him a bad player, but it does make the case that he’s not some hidden gem waiting to break out.
The recent trend line is not encouraging, either. Over his last 15 games, Caballero is hitting .186 with a .618 OPS. FanGraphs says he is a lifetime .224 hitter after the All-Star break, which suggests the Yankees should not count on a late-season surge.
So while Caballero has been helpful, and while he absolutely belongs on a big-league roster, he does not look like the long-term answer at shortstop. Brian Cashman still has work to do.
The article points to Washington Nationals star CJ Abrams as the ideal target ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Abrams is tied for second among all shortstops with 19 home runs and leads the position with 64 RBIs. If Abrams costs too much, Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena is presented as another possible option.
Either way, the message is clear: the Yankees can’t let a strong game from Caballero blur the bigger picture. They need a real solution at shortstop, and their chances this season depend on Cashman finding it.
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Yankees Deadline Reunion Rumor Raises Big Question About This Lineup
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But the deeper look is where the uncertainty starts to creep in. The player in question has dealt with oblique trouble for much of the year, and even with the Yankees clearly needing more production, there are reasons to wonder whether this is the kind of move that solves the right problem. For a team under pressure to hit better now, the deadline will be about more than reunion nostalgia. [Read more 🡒]