NEW YORK — Like any major league team, the Yankees engage in the time-honored tradition of pre-game batting practice. Same as it ever was: get loose and gauge how light the bat feels.
While BP sessions are mandatory, manager Aaron Boone allows his players to choose between the Stadium’s underground cages or outside on the field. Preferences vary – Aaron Judge splits it 50-50, Austin Wells is indoor-only – but there’s one Yankee who’s strictly old school.
No matter if it’s day or night, hot or cold, Jose Caballero takes batting practice outside – and only outside – for a distinctly low-tech reason.
“It just makes me feel good,” he said. “I can see the ball fly and see how the ball is carrying to all fields.”
Caballero stands at 5-9, 175 pounds with a touch of Ozzie Smith in him. His hands are that good. But being as lean as a greyhound doesn’t mean Caballero lacks muscle. To the contrary. Boone says, “Cabby hits bombs in batting practice every day.”
And that power doesn’t shut off when BP ends at 5 pm. Caballero blasted a 108-mph home run in the first inning of the Yankees’ 7-2 win over the Orioles Friday night. He almost went deep in the seventh inning too, long after the game was out of reach.
With an American League-best 21-11 record, the Bombers are on a roll of biblical proportions. But that’s not the weekend’s No. 1 narrative.
It’s not Will Warren, who delivered another gem (6.1 innings, one earned run, nine strikeouts). It’s not Ben Rice, who smacked his 11th HR of the season, right behind Judge’s 12.
It’s Caballero, who’s taking giant steps towards becoming the full-time shortstop. Talk about good timing: only hours after the Yankees extended Anthony Volpe’s injury rehab assignment for another two days, Caballero took full advantage of being alone on the stage.
He’s saying all the right things about the battle he appears to be winning. No gloating, no self-promotion and no disrespect towards Volpe. Caballero says, “I wish him the best” and emphasizes he only wants to “help the team win any way I can.”
Boone, along with general manager Brian Cashman, could’ve brought Volpe back on Friday. The reports from Somerset say the Jersey kid is fully recovered from off-season shoulder surgery. There’s nothing left for him to prove at the minor league level.
A year or even a month ago, there would’ve been no question about Volpe’s reinstatement. But Caballero, batting a solid .266 with three HRs in his last seven games, has chipped away at Volpe’s hold on the position. Teammates are now openly praising Caballero and his relentless energy.
“He’s a fun guy to watch,” said Rice. “You see what he does on the bases, running around, causing havoc, great defense, great at-bats, willing to play small ball, willing to take the extra base.”
The Yankees could’ve ended the suspense by now. But time’s almost up: Volpe’s injury-rehab will expire on Sunday. That’s when activation becomes automatic.
The question is whether Volpe returns to the Bronx or is officially demoted to Class-AAA. Boone says the club’s hierarchy will use the rest of the weekend to “assess” their choices. But how much more evidence is necessary?
Friday’s take-down of the Orioles also raised other questions:
Is Warren’s spot in the rotation safe?
It seems that way, even with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon the verge of returning from the injured list. Warren has allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of his seven starts, the most in the major leagues.
His growing dominance, not to mention impenetrable self-confidence, make it a near-guarantee Warren will be a rock-solid No. 5 starter with Cole, Rodon Max Fried and Cam Schlittler ahead of him.
“I think we’re going to have the best staff in all of baseball when they come back,” Warren said. “The best pitchers are going to pitch, so I have to keep going out there and doing my job.”
Did Pete Alonso open up about the Mets after hitting a home run on his first swing back in New York?
The former-Mets first baseman spoke to reporters at length before the game, but was careful not to re-open old wounds.
He acknowledged being allowed to leave the Mets as a free agent without an offer or even a final conversation with Steve Cohen or David Stearns. But insisted there was no bitterness.
“You can’t erase history or what happened, because I enjoyed my time in New York,” Alonso said. “But I’m also really stoked to represent Baltimore.”
Why are there so many bad teams in the American League, including the Orioles?
It’s true, the field is exceptionally weak this year. Ten of the league’s 15 teams are under .500 and just two, the Yankees and Rays, are over .600. That should theoretically clear the Bombers’ path to the World Series. But haven’t we said that before?
Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.