NEW YORK — New York Yankees utilityman José Caballero must appear “alert” and engaged with the pitcher when the pitch clock strikes eight seconds — otherwise, umpires and opponents might continue to have a problem with his pre-pitch routine.
That’s according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who said Major League Baseball issued the new guidance over a phone call Monday night — a day after Caballero drew the ire of Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider. The dispute was the latest in a season-long beef between Caballero and pitchers and plate umpires.
“Just make sure you’re alert,” Boone said before Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium.
“Some might interpret looking up as not being alert. So, making sure that he’s looking up with plenty of time to be alert by eight seconds.”
Caballero spent several minutes arguing with home-plate umpire Steven Jaschinski over his insistence on waiting until the pitch clock struck eight seconds to engage with the pitcher during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 8-3 win Sunday in Toronto. Jaschinski even issued Caballero an “intentional delay” warning over the team’s public address system.
MLB first instituted the pitch clock in 2023, and ever since, hitters have had until the eight-second mark to acknowledge the pitcher. If the hitter doesn’t do it, the umpire is supposed to penalize him with a strike. The pitch clock is 15 seconds with the bases empty, and 18 seconds with runners on base.
Despite the new guidance, Caballero reiterated Tuesday that he doesn’t understand why Jaschinski and other umpires have had a problem with him waiting until the eight-second mark to pick up his head and acknowledge the pitcher.
“I just need clarification on it,” Caballero said. “Regardless of what the rule will be, I will wait until eight or nine seconds to be alert. I am not going to give my at-bat to the pitcher to determine if he is going to control my timing or not. I’m going to wait all the way until my time.”
Umpire warns Yankees utility man Jose Caballero for “intentionally delaying” pic.twitter.com/bIA0skCD4H
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 15, 2026
Caballero said he planned to speak with Tuesday’s plate umpire, Mike Muchlinski, before his at-bat to make sure they’re on the same page.
“They have been changing the rule every single day,” he said. “So, we’ll see.”
“I’m hoping the conversation isn’t needed,” Boone said.
White Sox manager Will Venable said he doesn’t believe his pitchers will have a problem with Caballero’s antics. Venable said Chicago will be ready for them.
“It’s a good tactic, honestly,” Venable said. “It’s something that we talk about in our advance meeting, so our guys aren’t surprised. It’s in the report.
“It’s disruptive. People seem to have a problem with it, which I don’t understand. If you’re prepared for that, it shouldn’t be an issue. It’s in the rules. He’s playing his game.”
Caballero said that he doesn’t want the pitcher to use the full pitch clock against him and make him wait an exceedingly long time to deliver a pitch.
Yankees hitting coach James Rowson said he believes Caballero’s tactics also help the Yankees on the bases.
“If you look at it from a base-stealing standpoint,” Rowson said, “you can’t freeze base runners. If you have a runner on first, all of a sudden, you can’t sit there and freeze base runners for 15 seconds. There’s something to stopping a guy’s momentum offensively, whether it’s being stuck in the box or stuck on the bases. There’s an advantage for the defensive side of the ball. I think the way he goes about it lessens that advantage, and it’s not outside of the rules.”
Caballero said pitchers only seem to object to what he’s doing when there are runners on base.
“If the pitcher doesn’t mess up, nothing happens,” he said. “But when the pitcher messed up and there is traffic on the bases, or they are rushing, or they’re nervous, or I don’t know what it is, and that’s when they mess up, and then it’s my fault? How is that my fault? I do the same thing over and over and over again.
“Go watch all of my at-bats this year. I do the same thing. Once the clock goes all the way to 13, I do my routine, I put my head up (at eight seconds), and now that’s an issue? I don’t get it.”
