Anthony Volpe’s rehab assignment is over — and so is his time in the majors, for now.
As first reported by The Post’s Joel Sherman, Volpe was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday after being reinstated from the 10-day IL.
The Yankees had to make a roster move with Volpe by Tuesday, as his 20-day rehab window ended after his hitless day with Double-A Somerset.
In his comeback from offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Volpe has not hit well in the minors, and the Yankees have seen his replacement, José Caballero, exceed expectations.
So what was once considered almost a formality — that Volpe would reclaim his starting job at shortstop with the Yankees as soon as he was able — is now on hold.
And the player, who appeared in just 22 Triple-A games before winning the starting shortstop job out of spring training in 2023, is headed back there.
Before Sunday’s 11-3 win over Baltimore in The Bronx — another victory with another solid showing from Caballero — Aaron Boone said no decision had been made, in part because the Yankees have been playing as well as any team in the majors and Caballero had been a significant part of that success.
“Caballero is playing the heck out of the position and is playing really well,” Boone said. “That complicates it. … José has [earned] himself more playing time. I love the idea of José being in a super-utility role because he’s so good at it, but you also can’t ignore he’s played so well defensively at shortstop [and] been a real spark for us offensively.”
Boone also noted they’d have to figure out the best role for Volpe, who the manager said “is getting ready to play shortstop” and not preparing for a utility spot.
That they can have Volpe in the minors is a luxury for the Yankees, who have won 13 of their past 15 games even without their starting shortstop of the past three years.
And it’s a change from the stance they had just a few weeks ago.
On April 10, shortly before Volpe’s rehab assignment began, general manager Brian Cashman said of Volpe returning to his everyday job, “That’s always been the plan. But ultimately, that’ll be the manager’s call.”
Caballero entered Sunday with a .935 OPS in his previous 19 games with seven stolen bases — while also in the midst of a 17-game errorless streak.
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In the minors, Volpe has just one extra-base hit in 49 plate appearances, and the Yankees haven’t skipped a beat without the 25-year-old, who disappointed on both sides of the ball last year while playing with the injured shoulder.
“We’re off to a really good start,” Boone said of the team. “[Caballero] has been right in the middle of that defensively [and] offensively. So he’s earned some opportunities there. It’s really as simple as that [and] then weighing what’s the best thing for our team moving forward.”
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Boone also noted, “It’s a long season” and “there are gonna be so many opportunities for different guys. The fact is, we’re probably as deep as we’ve ever been. We have real competition for real spots and real roles on the team that we haven’t had in some portions of seasons.”
That will almost certainly include Volpe, but not yet.
