The lights were brightest on ESPN as they always are when the New York Yankees face the Boston Red Sox, and in the middle of everything was their newest shortstop, Jose Caballero. The Yankees lost, but Caballero did everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen.

His blast over the Green Monster off Steven Matz could only be described as either Judgian or Stantonian. The Long Island lefty, Matz, left a 95 MPH fastball down the heart of the plate, and Caballero crushed it. It was the second pitch of the at-bat, and it put a little more pressure on the Red Sox, making the score 6-4.

Caballero’s most amazing play may have been the one that solidified his job. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a sharp groundball that took several tough hops. Caballero gloved the 103.6 MPH grounder, spun on the infield dirt, and then fired to first, getting the speedy Rafaela out. It was the kind of play that the ailing Anthony Volpe had trouble with all season, but looked like second nature to Caballero.

During the gauntlet, Caballero had 27 plate appearances. He hit .280/.333/.520. He had three doubles, a homer, three RBI, and five stolen bases.

The organization held on as long as it could with Volpe, giving him a three-year leash, but a shoulder injury and a string of poor performances over several seasons, particularly at the plate, ultimately forced their hand. Caballero made their decision easier with his glove, making both the easy and hard plays that Gold Glove winner Volpe struggled with this season.

Before the series against the Red Sox, and before Caballero channeled Rickey Henderson in ’86 during their game one statement win, General Manager Brian Cashman still showed support for the organization’s once top prospect, Anthony Volpe. As quoted by Gary Phillips of the Daily News, his viewpoint hasn’t changed.

“He’s had a tough stretch, but yeah, he’s someone that we can count on and we believe in. But acknowledging at the same time, this isn’t the season that we expected or he expected, but that doesn’t change our viewpoint of what he’s capable of. I think he’s a really talented guy, and I think he has a chance to be a positive impact on us.

“I think he’s still really capable of being a quality, above average, regular shortstop in the game, but it’s a hard game at the same time.”

How the Yankees really feel about him will be decided in October when they put out their first lineup. The name at short will either read Jose Caballero or Anthony Volpe, and that will be the most telling thing about where they are within the organization.

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