Sunday marks the Yankees’ shortstop Anthony Volpe’s 20th day on his rehab assignment. This means the Yankees will either activate him to the main roster or option him to the minors. However, this year, it’s not as simple as it seems for the manager, Aaron Boone.

Last year, Boone defended Volpe despite all the noise against him, but this season, the 29-year-old Jose Caballero is spitting fire at shortstop, which is making the job tougher for Boone. And if Boone’s latest statement is any hint, Volpe’s job with the Yankees might be in jeopardy.

“Well, one, 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? Those are things we’ve got to continue to work through.”

Since his left shoulder surgery to repair a partially torn labrum, Volpe has yet to play in the majors in 2026. Now, per team sources, the team has activated Volpe from the 10-day injured list and optioned the shortstop to Triple-A.

Meanwhile, the Yankees made Caballero their starting shortstop.

In 32 games, Caballero has a .719 OPS with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 14 runs scored. He is also playing solid defense and delivering in the clutch, like his walk-off two-run double last month against the Los Angeles Angels.

Boone can’t help but admit how difficult it is to remove Caballero from the active roster. Plus, the stats are not on Volpe’s side either.

He finished last season batting .212 with 19 home runs, 72 RBI’s, 65 runs, and 18 stolen bases in 153 games. Additionally, he was tied for the third-most errors by shortstops in the league with 19.

Anthony Volpe began this season with a minor league rehab assignment in April, consisting of 13 games (nine in Double-A, four in Triple-A). This allowed him a 20-day window. The rehab assignment was Volpe’s first taste of minor league ball since 2022.

In the minors, Volpe had entered Sunday with just one extra-base hit in 45 plate appearances. He has had 11 hits, one home run, 9 strikeouts, 8 runs at a .250 BA in 13 games across Double-A and Triple-A.

Although Volpe was the Yankees’ starting shortstop last year, Caballero had a few chances in the middle.

He played 40 games and hit three homers at .266. So, stat-wise, the Yankees have no reason to remove Caballero for Volpe, except for the fact that the front office always promoted Volpe as their starter.

“I view Cabby getting a lot of run in a lot of different spots,” Boone said last August. “I view Anthony as our shortstop.”

So, what’s left for Volpe?

“If the team starts losing when he’s inserted back at shortstop, it’s going to be his fault whether it’s his fault or not,” Yankees’ broadcaster Michael Kay noted.

Clearly, the skipper preferred to keep Volpe in the minors for now and get him ready as a backup for the main roster.

Boone had clarified on Saturday that Volpe “played, what, two-plus weeks of games. Spring Training is a lot longer than that. And he got a lot of live at-bats and reads in the field, even leading up to that. He’s had pretty much close to a full Spring Training, but I don’t think it hurts to have him continue to play regularly.”

Volpe faced fans’ ire last year for his disastrous season. Currently, the Yankees are comfortably leading the AL East. So if placing Volpe in the roster means losing the momentum, the fans would not keep quiet.

So, the Yankees kept Volpe in the minors for now. But again, baseball means surprises, and who knows what’s cooking with the Yankees front office.

The Yankees may go radical with Anthony Volpe

If the Yankees decide they don’t want to promote Volpe, could they actually trade him?

“The indications that I’m getting from talking to people around the Yankees… is that the Yankees are not going to move forward & promote Volpe to the Major Leagues. Not just yet,” American sports commentator Jack Curry stated.

If Volpe stays back and performs well in the minors, chances are high that he could become a trade piece.

Rumors are rife that a trade between Volpe and the Cardinals’ JoJo Romero could be possible. The Yankees would not mind having another left-handed reliever on the team.

In 16 innings pitched this season, Romero has an ERA of 3.94. Last year, he posted a 2.07 ERA over 60 innings.

Hence, trading Volpe, who feels more like a surplus for the Yankees, with a reliable lefty could become a dream trade for the Yankees. Still, not everyone feels the same.

“So, if you’re the Yankees, why disrupt a good thing? Keep Anthony Volpe in the minors, and say hey, we want you to get a full spring training coming off that shoulder surgery, and if Caballero slows down, then you have a decision to make,” MLB insider Ken Rosenthal suggested.

With Jasson Dominguez’s promotion, the Yankees might feel the need for offense in the minors. Volpe could meet that, but we wonder how much time he would be willing to spend outside the main roster.