Before the Yankees even saw Dylan Cease, Aaron Boone signaled that the lineup was getting a tweak. One of the bigger moves was sliding Josè Caballero into the starting second-base job ahead of Jazz Chisholm Jr., a switch that says plenty about where things stand right now.
Caballero has already pushed his way out of the shortstop picture, with George Lombard Jr. settling in as an important piece for an offense that has struggled. But that doesn’t mean Caballero has to disappear from the lineup. Boone put him in the nine-hole, and he made it count.
Against the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, Caballero came through with a hit, a walk, an RBI, a run, and a stolen base. He was directly involved in two of the Yankees’ four runs.
First, he stole third and Luis Garcia Jr. brought him home. Later, he drove in Lombard.
Caballero drives in Lombard Jr. for the lead and Cabby immediately gets caught in a rundown. He is initially ruled safe but the call is overturned after review only allowing one run to score pic.twitter.com/aVgiNzyQKP
That kind of production is exactly why Caballero deserves another look in the starting mix. Chisholm brings more raw speed and power, but the results have been uneven. His 90 wRC+, paired with 17 home runs and 32 stolen bases, has been a major part of why the offense has stalled since Aaron Judge went down.
At this point in the season, the Yankees don’t have the luxury of waiting around for the higher ceiling to show up. With August almost done and September close, Boone has to ride the hot hand, not the theoretical one.
Caballero’s 94 wRC+ is only a small step above Chisholm’s, but the Yankees have to be honest about which player they trust more in a run-scoring spot. If this were 2024 or 2025, the answer would be simple. It’s Chisholm. 2026 is different.
The strikeout numbers help explain why. Chisholm is striking out 31% of the time, while Caballero is at 23.9%. When two players are producing nearly the same overall line, that gap matters.
The split with runners on third base and fewer than two outs tells a similar story. Chisholm is hitting .263 with a home run, 13 RBI, and an .806 OPS in those situations. Caballero is at .333 with 13 RBI and an .809 OPS.
The season is closing fast, and Chisholm still hasn’t shown he can deliver the kind of consistent production the Yankees need. Caballero has earned another chance to prove he can give them something real.
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