The New York Yankees enjoyed a day off on Tuesday after their contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates was postponed, and the hope is that it will let the tensions between these two teams simmer. In their most recent meeting on Monday night, a benches-clearing incident was prompted by a confrontation between Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero and Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana.
Caballero has recently generated quite a bit of attention for implementing a stalling tactic at the plate in an effort to manipulate the pitch clock against pitchers. It led to his skirmish with Santana, and now, he’s getting called out by folks across the league for attempting to create an advantage out of nothing.
MLB Insider Bashes Jose Caballero Over New Stalling Tactic
In his first full season with the Yankees, Caballero has become the team’s full-time shortstop, thanks in large part to Anthony Volpe’s continued struggles in the pros. In 86 games, Caballero is hitting .247 with 10 home runs, 37 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. He’s also played solid defense at shortstop, and for the time being, he appears to have given New York a trustworthy option at a position that seemingly always causes the team trouble.
As of late, Caballero has been drawing the ire of pitchers for attempting to use the pitch clock against them. Caballero has begun waiting until the last possible second to step into the batter’s box, with the goal of throwing the opposing pitcher off their rhythm or generating a pitch clock violation for himself.
Caballero’s controversial tactic led to his incident with Santana, and folks across the league are quickly becoming frustrated with his antics. On Wednesday morning, Caballero received a strong message from MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post, as he claimed that the Yankees’ shortstop is making quite a few enemies for himself.
“Enough with José Caballero’s stall tactics,” Heyman wrote in a post on X. He found a tiny loophole in (the) rule, so good for him. But for what? To annoy opposing pitchers and get a pitch clock violation once a month? Guess what, it’s annoying many more than the pitcher now.”
Does Jose Caballero Actually Benefit from His New Tactic?
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 17: Jose Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees looks on after flying out to center field during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium on July 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
Considering how competitive sports are nowadays, it should come as no surprise that teams and players are looking for every possible advantage they can find. It remains to be seen, though, if Caballero is doing anything other than making people mad at him. Sure, he might get a pitch clock violation every once in a while, but it doesn’t happen nearly frequently enough to justify his actions.
It doesn’t seem like Caballero is going to change his ways, though, so he could find himself at the center of more dust-ups sooner rather than later. New York will return to action for a doubleheader on Wednesday after not playing on Tuesday, with its first game scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.
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