José Caballero has already become a familiar face in the league’s pitch-clock debates, and the controversy followed him again in Pittsburgh earlier this week, where his routine helped spark a bench-clearing scene. At Citizens Bank Park, the Yankees shortstop found himself in the middle of another disputed ruling, and this time he could only stand there, shaking his head in disbelief.

“This is weird,” the Yankees broadcaster said, as per Talkin’ Yanks on X. “Because it happened so fast, I don’t think he had the wherewithal to just drop the ball on purpose. I mean, that’s a horrible call.”

The Yankees were 1-1 against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth when Ryan Weathers was on the mound with one out in the inning and two runners on the bases. Bryson Stott hit a line drive off Weathers’ sinker, and it went straight toward Caballero at shortstop.

While he was able to stop the ball, the 29-year-old couldn’t field it cleanly. However, he recovered quickly after a single bobble and ran to second base to prevent the runners from advancing. Much to everyone’s surprise, Brennan Miller ruled that the shortstop had intentionally dropped the ball.

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Though it was unclear exactly what the second base umpire said, he probably saw it as an attempt to make a double play and wrap up the inning. Hence, he instructed the runners to remain on their original bases. 

“I was very surprised,” Caballero said after the game. “They really think highly of me: I can catch the ball, drop the ball, and catch the bounce in one motion.”

And while manager Aaron Boone termed it a “missed call,” he had no issue accepting the umpire’s ruling. 

But fans of Caballero were certainly not happy.

Many claimed that the umpires were intentionally targeting him.

During Wednesday’s game against the Pirates, when reliever Carmen Mlodzinski finished the at-bat by striking Caballero out, the situation escalated immediately after the shortstop was assessed a pitch-clock violation. Soon enough, both Caballero and his manager engaged in a heated discussion with the umpire.

When home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott explained that he could no longer “do the 3 or 4 seconds in the box anymore,” Caballero appeared taken aback. Microphones also caught him accusing the umpires of “picking” on him. The club even claimed that it had not been informed in advance that Caballero could not follow his usual routine.

“It’s not allowed anymore,” crew chief Adrian Johnson explained, per The Athletic. “It was the cause of a benches-clearing situation on Monday night. Major League Baseball stepped in. They want it enforced.”

José Caballero had already been in the middle of the action once before, and this time the tension boiled over again. It all started when he did the same thing to Dennis Santana, a move that eventually pushed the Pirates reliever over the edge and led to a bench-clearing scene. A blown kiss set the whole exchange in motion, and both sides walked away with plenty to say.

“I just grounded out on a double play, turning my back to the coach at first base to give my guards to him, and he was sharpening on me,” Caballero was heard saying as per SNY Yankees on X. “I was a little surprised about it.”

During the game, the Yankees jumped out early on Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s three-run blast in the first and led 8-5 by the end of the third. The game stayed there until Santana came in during the eighth, where, with one out and Austin Wells on first, Caballero grounded into a 1-6-3 double play on a low slider before Santana said something as he headed back to the dugout and the moment quickly turned tense.

However, batters only need to be ready by the eight-second mark on the pitch clock. Yet Caballero was still called for a pitch-clock violation despite appearing to comply with the rule.

Caballero had built a reputation for stretching the clock, waiting until the last second to make eye contact with the pitcher and draw him into the pitch. MLB changed course Wednesday, however, and began cracking down on batters who try “to deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position.”

“It’s very easy to simply invent rules and change the world’s most beautiful sport and then not be responsible for those mistakes,” Caballero said on an Instagram post, translated from Spanish. “They know they’re wrong but it’s very difficult to accept that a regular player, who only wants to play the sport he has always loved, can adapt and use it in his game.”

That change produced the strange call Saturday, when Caballero was already alert before the 8-second cutoff but was still ruled for a violation because he spent the final few seconds in the box looking down. Caballero and Aaron Boone both said they spoke with MLB and got nowhere.

“I don’t think so,’’ Boone said. “I think he just missed the call.”

Additionally, the Yankees also got a few updates on the injury front. Giancarlo Stanton, out with a right calf strain, is still running but has not reached base work yet, while Carlos Rodón threw a two-up bullpen session Saturday as he rehabs left elbow inflammation and could face hitters next week if he bounces back well.

For now, the umpiring calls are likely to keep drawing attention around the league. It remains to be seen what will come off this situation.