Once adversaries, José Caballero had no idea how Gerrit Cole would respond when the two met for the first time as Yankees teammates.
Cole, however, had a joke locked and loaded for the utilityman.
“He was like, ‘Watch your head, kid,’” Caballero, who homered in the Yankees’ 6-4 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday, told the Daily News.
Cole’s quip referred to a June 2023 incident at Yankee Stadium during which the pitcher fired an 0-2 fastball high above Caballero’s dome. Cole went on to fan Caballero, who played for the Mariners at the time, before infamously wagging his finger at Seattle’s dugout.
Cole delivered the two-part message because Caballero had gotten on his nerves, stepping in and out of the batter’s box in an effort to mess with the ace’s timing.
“He instigates a lot of things,” Cole told The News.
Gerrit Cole was frustrated by Jose Caballero’s antics between pitches. Cole responded by throwing his fastest pitch of the night, throwing another one over his head and then jawing at him after striking him out pic.twitter.com/9lFaMmhSTo
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 21, 2023
The confrontation could have made for an awkward moment when Caballero, acquired from the Rays on July 31 during a game between the two teams, connected with Cole in the Yankees’ clubhouse. Instead, the injured Cole felt “glad” to have the nuisance aboard, and the two chatted and laughed about their previous run-in.
Caballero, who has been starting at shortstop in place of the aching and struggling Anthony Volpe, had similar conversations with Aaron Boone and Aaron Judge, as Cole is far from the only Yankee he incensed before joining forces with the club.
“He needles the opponent a little bit, but he and I have had a good laugh,” said Boone, who watched Caballero annoy Luis Gil into a run-scoring balk last year. “Now he’s turned into one of my favorite players.”
An irritant throughout his three big league seasons, Caballero will step out of the box, dance on the bases, and do just about anything he can to disrupt pitchers. Pair those antics with his blazing speed – Caballero woke up with a major league-leading 46 stolen bases on Monday – and you get baseball’s version of a chaos agent.
“I’m trying to make them hate me,” said the pesky pinstriper, who has played the game like a pest since childhood. “I don’t want them to like me.”
Balk by Luis Gil plates Caballeros#Rays 1 #Yankees 1 🔼3rd pic.twitter.com/mfOAYsKAlR
— Sᴘᴏʀᴛs 24/7 (@Sports_24x7_) April 21, 2024
A Yankees fan growing up in Panama, Caballero inspired competitive disdain with ease when he played against the Bombers, but the nudge has had no problems fitting in since the trade, which sent Everson Pereira to Tampa Bay.
With the Yankees traveling to Miami immediately after trading for Caballero, he quickly bonded with his new teammates over in-flight games of poker.
“He just hopped right in and started losing some money,” Judge told The News.
The Yankees captain noticed more than just Caballero’s losses, though.
“The coolest thing was he wasn’t shy,” the captain said. “He wasn’t keeping to himself. He hopped right in on the card table and just kind of immersed himself in the team, which speaks to the type of person he is. He’s comfortable where he’s at. He’s a funny guy that likes to have fun.”
Judge also said that he told Caballero that he “hated” playing against him, “but we’re going to love having you here.”
“You even heard that from a lot of the Rays’ players,” Judge continued. “They were like, ‘I can see where you guys might get mad at some of the stuff he does, or why he gets under your skin, but when he’s on your team and he’s fighting for you, you’re going to see how special he is and what he means to your ballclub.’
“I think everyone’s embraced that and really, truly sees what he brings to this team.”
To be clear, Caballero brings more than just distractions.
An Energizer Bunny and fierce competitor between the lines – Caballero has already been ejected twice as a Yankee – Cole called him a “spark plug.” Caballero’s versatility, meanwhile, made him an enticing target, as he has played six different positions this season.
With Volpe scuffling at the plate and in the field – and recovering from a cortisone shot in his left shoulder – Caballero spent the past week starting at shortstop. His solid metrics at the position – he had four Outs Above Average prior to Sunday – and better-than-expected offensive production have made a compelling case that he should permanently supplant Volpe, who has received several undeserved votes of confidence from Boone and Brian Cashman.
On Sunday in Boston, Boone said that he would “do what’s best every day” at shortstop with Volpe now an available player several days removed from his shot.
That comment came before Caballero made a spinning, run-saving play up the middle in the eighth inning and crushed a solo shot 423 feet over The Green Monster’s National Car Rental sign in the seventh. The blast put an exclamation mark on a stretch of seven straight starts that saw Caballero hit .273 with two doubles, the homer and four stolen bases.
It also got the Yankees talking about the 5-10, 190-pound Caballero’s unexpected power.
“I didn’t [know about that] until I saw him take BP the first couple days with us,” Boone said of a player with a .314 average and a .955 OPS over his last 16 starts. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ He goes where the big boys go in BP. So when he steps on one like that, now it’s not so surprising.”
“His power, at least watching him hit in training and batting practice, I was surprised by,” Cole added. “He’ll lose ’em up by the Poland Spring sign [at Yankee Stadium]. That’s 450 feet. That’s 65-grade, 70-grade power in the major leagues.”
José Caballero sent this ball out of Fenway Park 😮 pic.twitter.com/cn0f2SxNNg
— MLB (@MLB) September 15, 2025
Of course, Caballero’s greatest asset is his quickness.
He’s said that he’s not trying to win the stolen base title, but he and Jazz Chisholm Jr., once a teammate in the Diamondbacks’ system, have helped the Yankees lead the majors in swipes for more than a month.
There have also been several instances in which Caballero’s wheels have put immense pressure on defenses. An example came in Friday’s win over the Red Sox, as he hit a ground-rule double, stole third and raced home to score on a fielder’s choice, which led to a throwing error.
“He wreaks havoc on the bases,” Boone said. “He’s a little daring and makes you hold your breath sometimes, but he’s got a real good feel. He’s a really confident player.”
Boone has also described Caballero as a “catalyst,” “heady,” “a gamer,” “a winning player” and, perhaps most notably, a “10th man.” The manager has repeated that there is value in bringing Caballero in as a sub, even as fans beg for Volpe to remain on the bench.
Perhaps the Bronx faithful will get its wish now, as Caballero has done all he can to force the Yankees’ hand.
“I’m just trying to help the team win,” he said when asked what he thinks he’s shown over the last week. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what I do. It’s what the team does.
“As long as we keep winning games, I’m going to be really happy.”
