Anthony Volpe went 2-for-4 for Double-A Somerset on Wednesday in his 10th rehab game, and Aaron Boone still would not say whether the Yankees plan to put him right back at shortstop when he is cleared. Volpe is 10-for-33, a.303 average, in the assignment after last October’s left shoulder surgery.
Boone was asked repeatedly about the plan and kept his answer short. “We’ll see,” he said. “He’s playing again today [in Somerset]. We’ll see.” Later, he added: “It’s Wednesday. He’s playing in Somerset today. We’ll see.” The Yankees could clear Volpe as early as Friday night, when they open a four-game series against the Orioles at the Stadium.
The uncertainty matters because Volpe had been the Yankees’ everyday shortstop before the surgery, and Jose Caballero has filled in well enough to make this more than a routine return. Caballero is hitting.267 with three home runs, a.713 OPS and 12 steals in 16 tries, and he has been even hotter over his last 14 games, going 18-for-49 with a.367 average, two homers, two doubles and six steals.
That leaves Boone with a choice the club can no longer avoid. General manager Brian Cashman said on April 10 that Volpe returning as the starting shortstop had “always been the plan,” though he added that it would “ultimately be the manager’s call.” Boone has little interest in answering that question before he has to, and the Yankees have so far handled most roster and playing-time decisions smoothly this season. But this one is different, because Caballero has done enough to make the decision a real one.
Volpe’s first three years as the starting shortstop had more positives than many Yankees fans are willing to credit him with, and the club still appears to view him as the long-term answer. The issue now is whether Boone restores that arrangement immediately or keeps riding the hot hand while Volpe finishes his rehab. Either way, the Yankees are nearing the point where the answer has to be made in public, not just behind closed doors.