Daily Report – 5/12/26
Yankees
True or false: José Caballaro was injured yesterday.
The answer: It’s unclear.
Before yesterday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, Caballero told the Yankees his hand hurt, so they kept him out of the starting lineup. Yet, in the ninth inning, they used him as a pinch-runner. He then got caught stealing second base for the game’s final out.
Lo and behold, the Yankees, losers of four straight games, have called up Anthony Volpe in place of Caballero, who will go on the injured list. This begs the question: Why did Caballero play yesterday?
Before yesterday’s game, when asked if he was concerned about landing on the IL, Caballero said he wasn’t. “I don’t think it’s a fracture,” he said. “I’m not worried. I’m just not happy that I have to be out of the lineup today.”
“He’s been such a good performer for us here on both sides of the ball,” manager Aaron Boone said of Caballero. “He’s been a key part of our team to this point, but again, hopefully it’s just a day-to-day situation.”
News flash: It is not a day-to-day situation; Caballero has fractured his right middle finger. It is only a matter of time before Yankees fans start wagging their right middle fingers at their baseball team.
Now, the Yankees are stuck with a post-shoulder surgery version of Anthony Volpe, who has hit to a .205 batting average (8-for-39) in nine games in Triple-A, including one home run, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. He has also committed two defensive errors, the only category in which he led the American League last season.
Yesterday, the Yankees’ lineup went down very quietly against the Orioles bullpen while their own coughed up the game. The Yankees’ offense went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in a 3-2 loss at Camden Yards, unable to muster more than one hit in any inning. Their only runs came via a two-run homer by Ben Rice in the 3rd inning.
“We’ve got to get some guys unlocked,” Boone said. “We’ve got a handful of guys that are scuffling, and we’ve got to get a little more competitive up and down the lineup as we hit this little rough patch this week.”
Eight days after losing nine pounds in two days with a stomach virus, Ryan Weathers carried a nine-strikeout no-hitter into the seventh inning. It ended there, though, as Adley Rutschman singled and Tyler O’Neill walked. That ended Weathers’s outing at 101 pitches, and with two runners on base, Aaron Boone went to his bullpen.
Remember how last week, Brent Headrick was on a stretch in which he retired 13 consecutive inherited baserunners? Well, that ended yesterday.
Much like his previous relief appearance in Milwaukee, Headrick gave up a home run to the first batter he faced. This time, it was Coby Mayo, and against a hanging slider, he launched a three-run shot deep to left field. It was the first home run Headrick allowed to a right-handed hitter since 2023.
In this situation, Boone made the right choice to use Headrick versus Jake Bird, who was warming up as well. After all, Headrick has been Boone’s best firefighter, but is also responsible for throwing a non-competitive pitch to a hitter with a .165 average, and the Yankees’ hitters are responsible for not scoring enough runs in last night’s ballgame.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., who refused to meet the media yesterday and is not in today’s lineup, came up empty three times with runners in scoring position. He finished the night 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, and his average dropped to .201. Before the season started, Chisholm proclaimed he would have a 50/50 year. In his contract season, he is on pace for 15 home runs and 43 stolen bases.
“You sense guys feeling it when you’re a month-plus in, and you’re not doing what the back of your baseball card says,” Boone said. “[Chisholm is] probably feeling that a little but, probably pressing a little too much, trying to do a little too much. He’s going to get it going. I have no doubt about that. But sometimes you’ve got to slow things down first and have some small successes to get you going.”
With yesterday’s loss, the Yankees are now two games behind Tampa Bay for the AL East division lead. They have also fallen to 3-9 in one-run games, a record shared by the Mets, who have the worst record in baseball. In comparison, Tampa Bay is 8-1 in one-run games while the Yankees have a lackluster bullpen without enough swing-and-miss relievers. Also, they don’t tend to hit in the clutch.
Tonight, at 6:35 PM, the Yankees will send RHP Will Warren (4-1, 3.46 ERA) to the mound against the lefty Trevor Rogers (2-3, 4.75 ERA) (YES, Gotham Sports).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
1B Paul Goldschmidt (R)
RF Aaron Judge (C) (R)
DH Ben Rice (L)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
2B Amed Rosario (R)
CF Trent Grisham (L)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
SS Max Schuemann (R)
C Austin Wells (L)
SP: RHP Will Warren (4-1, 3.46 ERA)
Yankees Transactions (5/12):
NYY placed SS José Caballero (right middle finger fracture) on the 10-day IL
NYY recalled SS Anthony Volpe from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Schedule
6:35 PM: NYY at BAL; YES, Gotham Sports; SP: RHP Will Warren (4-1, 3.46 ERA) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (2-3, 4.75 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
