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Caballero appears to have earned himself an extended run as the Yankees' primary shortstop, as Anthony Volpe (shoulder) was reinstated from the injured list and optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman stated April 10 that the plan was for Volpe to reclaim his starting shortstop job once healthy enough to do so, but that path appears to have shifted given Volpe's assignment to Triple-A. Caballero has put himself in position to hang onto Volpe's former role with a strong start to the season, as he leads MLB shortstops with seven defensive runs saved while posting a fine .259/.306/.405 slash line to go along with four homers, 15 runs, 12 RBI and 13 stolen bases, which is tied for the AL lead. Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Caballero's seizing of the lead shortstop role Sunday, saying the speedy veteran has "played himself into and earned himself more playing time." However, Boone also stated, "I love the idea of Jose being in that super utility role because he's so good at it" and said "we'll see" when asked if the team has pivoted from Cashman's previous statement regarding Volpe's role, so it's not certain that Caballero is going to be the Yankees' everyday shortstop for the entire season. For now, fantasy managers who have enjoyed Caballero's contributions on the basepaths and surprising uptick in power should plan to be able to plug him in as a near-everyday starter for at least the near future.

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