New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe will likely miss the start of the 2026 MLB season after having offseason shoulder surgery. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman stated in October of last year that Volpe will be ready “sometime in April; maybe, worst-case scenario, May.”
However, New York does have a reliable veteran to fill in while Volpe is gone. Coming over in a midseason trade last year, José Caballero will likely get the reps at shortstop until Volpe is ready.
Still, with Volpe potentially competing with Caballero for those reps at shortstop, the question is whether the 24-year-old can lose the starting job to the veteran?
Although Caballero could snatch the job from Volpe, SNY’s Emmanuel Berbari doesn’t believe that will be the case and sees Volpe starting the most games at shortstop when he returns healthy this upcoming season for the Yankees.
“I think it’ll be Volpe, and it’ll be Volpe by a wide margin,” Berbari said during the Feb. 3 edition of “Baseball Night in New York.” “I think the shoulder affected his defense more than was let on last year. All you need is the defense from Volpe to justify maybe some subpar hitting.
“The New York Yankees still believe in him. He comes back, provided he comes back on time and healthy. The Yankees see more value from José Caballero as that tenth man than as the starting shortstop, so I think Volpe reclaims the job.“
Aaron Boone Gets Honest About Anthony Volpe
Since 2023, Volpe has posted a .222 batting average, 382 hits, 52 home runs, 192 RBIs, and 217 runs scored, while winning one Gold Glove award, per StatMuse.
During a Feb. 2 appearance on WFAN, Aaron Boone was blunt about Volpe when receiving a question about whether the shortstop will be on a short leash this season and potentially lose his starting job.
“Now with José Caballero in the mix, we have somebody that’s like, ‘Man, this guy’s a really good big league player,‘” Boone said. “I think [Caballero] showed that with us. He’s shown that the last couple of years with Tampa and Seattle, can really legit defend at a lot different places, including shortstop. He started to push himself into the mix a little bit last year.
“I still think Anthony is going to be a frontline shortstop in this league. Everyone’s path isn’t linear. We always wanted to be here. That can be tough, especially in New York, when you’re finding your way. I think he’s going to turn into that player, and I wanted to be here. But bringing guys in like Caballero, I think that’s good for competition.”
Yankees Still Believe in Anthony Volpe
Nonetheless, as Berbari mentioned, the Yankees still believe in Volpe, as Cashman made clear last October after New York’s 2025 season ended with an American League Division Series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I believe in the player still. I think we believe in the player,” Cashman said in an Oct. 16 article from ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “It doesn’t mean we don’t play with, on any level, all aspects of roster assessments. He’s 24 years old. I don’t think the New York stage is too big for him. It’s just still finding his way.”
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