Jose Caballero Could Become the Yankees' Answer at Third Base After Ryan McMahon Injury News

With Ryan McMahon landing on the injured list, José Caballero has another opportunity to play every day.

After starting the season as the Yankees' everyday shortstop, Jose Caballero has another chance at everyday playing time. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Yankees now have a third base opening after announcing that Ryan McMahon is on the injured list with a left thumb sprain.

McMahon sprained his thumb on a slide into second base on Wednesday, and is very important to the Yankees' pitching-heavy game plan. Despite his underwhelming production at the plate, the 31-year-old's glovework at the hot corner has been excellent; his quick reflexes and good range allow him to take away extra-base hits and keep opposing runs off the board.

Ryan McMahon made this look way too easy pic.twitter.com/pUcrcyy4Wu

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 22, 2026

Regardless of McMahon's defense, his lack of offense prevents him from being the Yankees' true solution at third. So if the Bronx Bombers can get better offensive production and steady defense there, that would be more valuable than McMahon's more polarized skill set.

Fortunately for the Yankees, José Caballero can do just that.

How José Caballero can take the third base job from Ryan McMahon

Caballero is currently the Yankees' primary utility player, but he was their starting shortstop at the start of the season while Anthony Volpe was out. With George Lombard Jr. rapidly impressing in his first taste of the majors, it's highly unlikely that Caballero will return at that spot.

But while the 29-year-old's offense is streaky, similar to McMahon, Caballero can impact a game in multiple ways. Beyond his positional versatility, Caballero's aggressive baserunning (30 stolen bases in 39 attempts) and respectable power (12 home runs) are two skills that New York's lineup would heavily benefit from.

Caballero's penchant for coming through in key spots (a .735 OPS with runners in scoring position and a 1.241 OPS in 32 high-leverage plate appearances) is the cherry on top.

Jose Caballero breaks the scoreless tie with a three-run homer!!! pic.twitter.com/Z5S7LV4Llx

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 6, 2026

That dynamic skill set gives Caballero the offensive edge over McMahon. However, the best way for Caballero to definitively usurp McMahon is to provide steady defense at third in addition to producing at the plate.

Caballero has played 112.0 innings at the hot corner this season, and his defensive metrics there aren't particularly inspiring, with -1 Outs Above Average and -1 Fielding Runs, per Baseball Savant, alongside zero Defensive Runs Saved. But he's played well at third in the past.

Last season, he was worth 1 Out Above Average and 1 Fielding Run in 117.0 innings. In 2024, Caballero was worth 4 Outs Above Average and 3 Fielding Runs over 217.0 innings at third, while chipping in 4 Defensive Runs Saved.

If Caballero figures out how to make a case to play third every day, though, he needs to do it fast. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, McMahon is optimistic about returning in a minimum of 10 days, and if he heals quickly, he'd probably return to third base right away.

Additionally, Caballero is playing second base in place of Jazz Chisholm Jr. tonight against the Blue Jays, while Amed Rosario plays third - a surprising decision given his notoriously poor defense.

But if the Yankees choose to insert Caballero at the hot corner over the next couple of days, he can make the third-base situation really interesting if he contributes as he did to start the year.

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