NEW YORK, NY – MAY 22: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees looks on during the game against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium on May 22, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
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The New York Yankees have avoided making a change at a key infield position despite growing calls to do so.
Over the last three years, as Anthony Volpe has gone from a Gold Glove Award winning rookie to a defensive and offensive question mark at shortstop, manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman have defended him. But some Yankees fans would like to see a replacement and they made that clear as they booed Volpe on several occasions in this past season.
Now the team has no choice but to take an extended look at a new shortstop. Volpe is set to miss the beginning of next season after undergoing surgery. For now, Jose Caballero seems poised to get most of the starting reps at the position to open next season. But on Wednesday, the Yankees acquired a former World Series champion who might also serve as a replacement.
“Jonathan Ornelas (25) has signed a minor league deal with the Yankees,” according to Major League Baseball insider Francys Romero. “The contract includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training and a midseason opt-out. Ornelas has a strong chance to make the team, as the Yankees could be without Anthony Volpe until May.”
Ornelas has experience playing shortstop, third base and second base throughout his career, making him a potential utility option for the Yankees as they seek to bolster the infield in Volpe’s absence. In this past season, Ornelas was a member of the Atlanta Braves after he left the Texas Rangers organization.
Last year, Ornelas was awarded a World Series championship ring after he made his major league debut with the Rangers during their title run in the year before. Now, after joining the Yankees, Ornelas could have another chance at the big leagues ahead.
“Ornelas has logged more than 3,500 minor league innings at shortstop,” Anthony Franco noted for MLB Trade Rumors. “(The Yankees will) probably add at least one more established depth infielder, but it’s a decent landing spot for Ornelas as he tries to battle for an Opening Day job.”
The Yankees have some backup infielders aside from Caballero in Braden Shewmake, Jorbit Vivas and Oswaldo Cabrera, so Ornelas has significant competition if he hopes to be in the mix to serve as a replacement shortstop. But the Yankees have given themselves another possible option by adding the World Series champion on a low-risk deal.