Anthony Volpe Demoted To Triple-A; Yankees Sticking With Jose Caballero

The New York Yankees have demoted Anthony Volpe to Triple-A.

Volpe was on a rehab assignment for his left shoulder surgery. The 20-day rehab window expired, meaning the Yankees had to place him on the 26-man roster or demote him to Triple-A.

Volpe had a .250 batting average and a .306 on-base percentage in 13 rehab games in the minor leagues. The Yankees have to use one of their option years to keep him in the minor leagues. MLB players have three option years where they can be demoted to the minor leagues without being able to reject the demotion.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone cited the play of Jose Caballero as a reason for keeping Volpe in the minor leagues. Caballero has four home runs, 12 RBIs and a .259 batting average this season. In his last 17 games, he has a .333 batting average, .385 on-base percentage and a .517 slugging percentage. 

Caballero has also played great defense at shortstop. This season, he has three outs above average, third-most in the American League for shortstops. 

Last season, Volpe had a .212 batting average, .272 on-base percentage and a .391 slugging percentage. Volpe started the season with a .319 on-base percentage. However, after June 1, he had a .240 on-base percentage.

What was more concerning was Volpe’s decline on defense. In 2025, he had negative six outs above average. He won the American League Gold Glove Award at shortstop in 2023 and was a finalist for the award in 2024. 

During spring training, the Yankees’ medical staff said they believed Volpe’s defensive struggles were due to playing through a left shoulder injury. Although Volpe throws right-handed, a shoulder injury in the left arm can make it difficult for a shortstop to properly glove the ball.