BALTIMORE (AP) — Anthony Volpe's demotion to the minor leagues lasted just a week, and the shortstop rejoined the New York Yankees on Tuesday after José Caballero was diagnosed with a broken right middle finger.
In the midst of a four-game losing streak, New York recalled Volpe from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before Tuesday night's game at the Baltimore Orioles and placed Caballero on the 10-day injured list.
“He's had a number of at-bats and a lot of reps down there, a lot of playing time, kind of a more than a full spring training,” manager Aaron Boone said of Volpe. “So hopefully, he's ready to go and come up here and be a spark for us.”
Volpe was expected to arrive shortly before game time. Max Schuemann started at shortstop for a second straight game.
Boone made it apparent Volpe will get most of the playing time at shortstop until Caballero returns.
“Yeah, I would expect him to,” the manager said. “I would expect Anthony to play a lot.”
A Gold Glove winner as a rookie in 2023, Volpe had surgery Oct. 14 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He began a 20-day minor league injury rehabilitation assigning on April 14 and was optioned to the RailRiders on May 3 — day 20 — after hitting .250 (11 for 44) with one homer and six RBIs in 13 minor league games.
He hit. 167 (4 for 25) with two doubles and two RBIs in five games with Scranton, leaving his overall minor league stats this year at .221 with one homer and eight RBIs in 18 games.
Because his optional assignment at Scranton was less than 20 days, he will be credited with major league service during that time period. He remains on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2028 World Series.
Volpe, 25, was New York’s starting shortstop from 2023-25 but struggled at the plate, hitting .222 with 52 homers, 192 RBIs and 70 stolen bases over three seasons. His .212 average last year was 144th among 145 qualifiers, his play hampered after he hurt his hurt his left shoulder on May 3.
Caballero was hurt diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt by Milwaukee's Abner Uribe during the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-3 loss at the Brewers, even though he was wearing a sliding mitt. He pinch ran in the ninth inning Monday night and was thrown out attempting to steal second for the final out in the Yankees' 3-2 defeat to the Orioles. Plate umpire Nic Lentz called Caballero safe but was reversed in a video review as a Yankees' loss ended with a caught stealing for the first time since Curtis Granderson against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 9, 2011.
Acquired from Tampa Bay last July 31, the 29-year-old Caballero started 39 games at shortstop and is hitting .249 with four homers, 13 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
Boone expects Caballero's time on the IL to be brief, and indicated he will reclaim the starting job at shortstop when he returns.
“Hopefully it's just the 10 days,” Boone said. “Just depends on how he heals up over the next few days. He's got a small fracture in there. Tendons, ligaments all good.”
Caballero tried to convince Boone he would be able to play after a few days off, but the manager didn't accept the argument
“We just didn't want to risk him doing something more to it where it becomes something he had to deal with all summer,” Boone said.
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New York Yankees' José Caballero, left, is caught by Baltimore Orioles second baseman Blaze Alexander, right, while trying to steal second base during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 11, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Pop star Debbie Gibson and Terry “Geezer” Butler, co-founder of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, are singing the same tune when it comes to sparing dogs from medical experiments.
The unlikely pair came together Tuesday not for a most unusual duet, but instead to praise ongoing efforts to find new homes for roughly 1,500 beagles purchased from dog breeder and research facility Ridglan Farms outside of Madison.
Forget Black Sabbath’s anti-war anthem “War Pigs.” This day was all about the dogs — more specifically, the beagles.
“It was so profound to be able to hold each of these dogs in our arms and be able to assure them that their new life was starting,” Gibson said. “Today was a very emotional day.”
Both Gibson and Butler held beagles from Ridglan Farms that had been transported from the facility to the humane society on Tuesday.
“They’ve never let me down,” Butler said of his pet dogs at the Dane County Humane Society, which is working to find new homes for 500 beagles. “They’re always loving.”
As they and others spoke in the humane society's barn, beagles from Ridglan Farms sat in the arms of volunteers as they waited to be seen by veterinarians for a health check, vaccinations and other care.
The Washington, D.C.-based Center for a Humane Economy and Florida's Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which both oppose using animals in research, struck the deal last month to buy the dogs for an undisclosed amount from Ridglan Farms.
The deal was announced just days after a violent clash between animal welfare advocates and police outside of the Ridglan Farms facility. Police used tear gas and pepper spray to turn back activists who said they were there to take the dogs. Protesters also broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs.
Numerous groups are working to transfer the 1,500 dogs bought from Ridglan to facilities where they will get veterinary care and be prepared for transport to shelters around the country, where they will eventually be put up for adoption.
More than 1,300 people have expressed interest to the Dane County Humane Society alone in adopting the dogs, said Amy Good, the society's director of marketing.
“It’s not a tough sell to get beagles into homes," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. "The response across the nation has been overwhelming.”
The first 1,000 dogs were removed earlier this month and are in temporary shelters with agencies partnering with Big Dog Ranch Rescue. The Dane County Humane Society began receiving the remaining 500 dogs this week.
Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.
Butler, who said he has five dogs and five cats at home, called it a historic day for the end of experimenting on animals.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
Gibson, who released her debut album at age 16 in 1987, said she planned on fostering and possibly adopting one of the beagles she met on Tuesday.
“This little guy was the last one put in my arms, and I couldn’t put him back in a cage,” she said, holding the beagle as she spoke.
Asked whether they will ever work together on a song about dogs, Butler and Gibson chuckled.
“Maybe,” Butler said with a smile and a beagle still on his lap.
Pop star Debbie Gibson and Black Sabbath co-founder Terry "Geezer" Butler hold beagles that were purchased from a Dane County animal research facility on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
Black Sabbath co-founder Terry "Geezer" Butler watch beagles that were purchased from a Dane County animal research facility play outside on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
Pop star Debbie Gibson and Black Sabbath co-founder Terry "Geezer" Butler hold beagles that were purchased from a Dane County animal research facility on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
Beagles that were purchased from a Dane County animal research facility play outside on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
