Yankees option Anthony Volpe to Triple-A as Jose Caballero holds shortstop spot

The New York Yankees optioned shortstop Anthony Volpe to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, the team said, after Jose Caballero continued to handle the position effectively.

“Caballero is playing the heck out of the position and playing really well,” manager Aaron Boone said prior to the Yankees’ win Sunday, according to ESPN. Boone added that Caballero’s play “complicates it,” the network reported.

Caballero has been the Yankees’ primary shortstop in 34 games this season and is slashing .259/.306/.405 with a .711 OPS, four homers and 12 RBIs, according to Yankees statistics. He has taken most of the regular at-bats toward the bottom of the lineup.

Volpe, 25, went 11-for-44 (.250) during a 13-game rehab assignment that was mostly with Double-A Somerset, team reports show. Volpe underwent left shoulder surgery Oct. 14 after the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason, and he received cortisone shots during the season and at the All-Star break, the reports said.

Last season, Volpe batted .212/.272/.391 with a .663 OPS across 153 games, hitting 19 homers and recording a career-high 72 RBIs while committing 19 errors, the third-most among major league shortstops, according to team statistics. The Yankees said Volpe will use playing time in Triple-A to work on his defense and prepare for a return to the majors.

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