Anthony Volpe Becoming Victim of Unfortunate Yankees Circumstances

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe continued his rehab assignment with the Somerset Patriots at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater on April 17, 2026. | Alexander Lewis / MyCentralJersey / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Before their four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, New York Yankees fans were hoping to hear that shortstop Anthony Volpe would be back in the majors. Volpe has been in the minors since the season began, as he’s been rehabbing from a partially torn labrum that he suffered last October.

However, the 25-year-old infielder was back in the lineup at Double-A Somerset, and manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Volpe would be staying in the minors "through the weekend," per The Athletic’s Brandon Kuty.

This wasn’t ideal news for Volpe, whose 20-day rehab assignment clock is about to expire. That said, Boone was asked again about Volpe before the Yankees’ matinee matchup against the Orioles. However, his answer left uncertainty around Volpe’s immediate future.

"Caballero’s playing the heck out of the position and playing really well so that complicates it," Boone said via Talkin’ Yanks. "Just deciding, what’s the role that exists right away?"

Aaron Boone says they haven’t decided if they’ll call up Anthony Volpe tomorrow after his rehab ends:

“Caballero's playing the heck out of the position and playing really well so that complicates it. Just deciding, what's the role that exists right away?” pic.twitter.com/d2hzNJdhUh

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 3, 2026

Anthony Volpe’s immediate Yankees’ future is out of his control

During his minor league rehab assignment, Volpe has watched José Caballero take control at shortstop, and really shine at the plate and with the glove.

Heading into Sunday’s game against Baltimore, Caballero is hitting .259 with five doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI, while adding 12 stolen bases. As for his defense, the 29-year-old Caballero has turned 17 double plays while only committing three errors in 137 chances at shortstop. He also has a .978 fielding percentage, which is slightly lower than the league average (.982), but his Defensive Runs Saved Above Avg is 7.

As harsh as it sounds, given what Volpe has done at the major league level in the Bronx, it’s hard to take Caballero out of the lineup, who has been producing. Between Caballero’s play and top-hitting prospect George Lombard Jr. ascending to Triple-A, the optics don’t look spectacular for Volpe.

However, all might not be lost for Volpe this season or down the road. As Chris Kirschner of The Athletic pointed out a couple of days ago, if the Yankees don’t activate Volpe by Monday and option him to the minors, they could get an extra year of team control by keeping him in the minors for 20 days.

Again, that doesn’t help the big league club right now. But one could argue that by doing this, the Yankees see a future with Volpe, despite the other circumstances.

During this rehab stint, Volpe is hitting .275 with a home run and six RBI across 45 plate appearances. He’s not hitting the ball off the cover with an OPS of .683, and he’s slugging .226 against right-handed pitching.

Therefore, keeping him down in the minors a little bit longer isn’t the worst idea. But it would behoove the Yankees not to keep kicking the can down the road, as Caballero’s hot play could hit the wall at any moment.