ORLANDO, Fla. — The New York Yankees continue to say all the right things about Anthony Volpe, but general manager Brian Cashman seemed to hint that there’s a possibility he wouldn’t simply get his starting job back when he returns from shoulder surgery that will keep him out the first month-plus of the season.
“I have no idea where things can go,” Cashman said at the Winter Meetings on Wednesday. “The game separates it all, the men from the boys, (and) dictates who should and who shouldn’t be playing over the course of time from the roster that the manager has.
“People continue to earn their playing time or they don’t. In some cases, if you don’t have alternatives, somebody stays in that lane continuing to play unless you import something else. But if it’s competition off the guys on the club, may the best man win and keep it.”
That would appear to signal that José Caballero, or whoever the Yankees wind up with starting at shortstop to begin the season, could keep the job. Caballero, 29, is slated to be the starter, but Cashman hasn’t ruled out trying to upgrade the position this winter. The Yankees haven’t done much yet, however, seemingly waiting on outfielder Cody Bellinger to make his free agency decision while leaving the Winter Meetings empty-handed.
Cashman also said utility man Oswaldo Cabrera would work into the mix at shortstop with Caballero, who’s one of the game’s best base stealers and is a strong defender but has a career .686 OPS.
This week, Cashman and manager Aaron Boone defended Volpe, who played through a tear in his left shoulder labrum last season while disappointing on both sides of the ball.
“Do I believe in Anthony Volpe? Cashman said. “The answer is yes.”
“He’s going to be a good player for us,” Boone said.
Cashman added that he still believes “everything that we felt about (Volpe) prior to his surgery.” The Yankees drafted Volpe in the first round out of high school in 2019, and he soared through the minor leagues, projecting to be a high-upside hitter with questionable defense. Those scouting reports were flipped when Volpe reached the majors, won a Gold Glove as a rookie in 2023 and has a career OPS of just .662.
“The next step for him is getting more consistent offensively,” Boone said. “That’s what our focus will be with him. For, obviously, the noise around him this year, and the struggles he went through defensively in the middle of the season for that month, it’s really important to note how good he was the final two months, which is more in line with, defensively speaking, who he’s been these first few years. The next thing for Anthony is … he’s had a lot of success offensively. But he’s had a lot of valleys, and the challenge for us and for him is going to be to shore those things up to make him more consistent.”
Austin Wells began last season as a leadoff hitter contender, but he couldn’t keep up his hot start. (Ishika Samant / Getty Images)
Austin Wells and the catching situation
In 2023, catcher Wells made his MLB debut and played 19 games, registering 0.1 WAR according to Baseball Reference. Last year, he played 126 games but registered the exact same WAR.
As the Yankees look to fortify various parts of their roster, they seem content with Wells as the starter going into 2026, though Cashman said he wasn’t sure why his offense dipped last season. Wells had a hot spring training and entered the year as a contender to be the primary leadoff hitter, but hit just .219 with 21 homers, 71 RBI and a .712 OPS in 448 plate appearances. It was a major step back after he finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year vote in 2024.
“He’s really talented,” Cashman said. “I think he’s one of the better catchers in the game on both sides of the ball. And I think there’s a lot better offense in there than what we saw last year. So I look forward to seeing that playback (next) year because I do think you’ll see better results, but I don’t have an answer for you before that. I just think he’s super talented, and I’m glad he’s in our fold because I know our pitchers like throwing to him, and I know he’s a threat every time he’s up at the plate. So I think his profile on the offensive side is better than the results from last year.”
The Yankees also are OK with going into next season without a righty backup for Wells. Ben Rice and JC Escarra project to be the reserves at the position. Cashman called catching a “very thin market” and said it might be a “less realistic option” that they’ll land a catcher who hits well from the right side.