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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed an injury to utility infielder/outfielder Jose Caballero

The New York Yankees now have two banged-up shortstops just a week away from the postseason.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone opened about utility player Jose Caballero’s lingering finger injury and how it has affected him for “months” after their 7-1 extra-inning win over the Baltimore Orioles.

New York (88-68) holds the No. 1 wild card in the American League, sitting three games up on the second wild card, the Boston Red Sox, and four games up on the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros with just six to play.

The Yankees, who only trail the Toronto Blue Jays by two games for the AL East lead, have a magic number of three to clinch a postseason berth.

The Yankees will open their final homestand of the season Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium before taking on the Orioles in three home games over the weekend.

What Did Aaron Boone Say About Jose Caballero’s Finger Injury?

Acquired initially as a utility infielder/outfielder and pinch runner, Caballero has become one of the Yankees’ most important players, especially in the wake of Anthony Volpe’s non-throwing shoulder injury.

Yet, Caballero is dealing with pain in his finger, which according to Boone, flares up at times.

“He’s been dealing with a finger [injury] that acts up on him, really for the last couple of months,” Boone said. “Every now and then on a swing it bugs him.”

The injury did not keep Caballero from going 2 for 5 with a 10th-inning double and a run scored in the Yanks’ extra-inning win. He raised his OPS to .852 since New York traded for him from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31.

In 36 games with the Yankees, Caballero has a .274 batting average with six doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs.

Why Is Jose Caballero Important To The Yankees?

Very few players are close to 100 percent this time of the year. This could be especially true of Caballero, since the infielder/outfielder is asked to play extremely hard, especially on defense and running the basses, while playing a multitude of positions.

Yet, what once was seen as a luxury — Caballero’s speed and versatility — is now almost essential to the Yankees lineup.

Aside from stealing bases, he has 14 in a Yankees uniform, and playing far-superior defense to Volpe, Caballero is also a linchpin to New York’s offense, since he has 14 runs scored in just 36 games.

Smart baseball people feel Caballero is in line to start for the Yankees at shortstop when they inevitably qualify for the postseason. Despite his excellent performance for the Yankees last October, Volpe is slashing just .210/.272/.396 this season and could end up as a defensive replacement at short — after Caballero inevitably goes to the outfield toward the end of games.

Plus, Volpe has an American League-worst .962 fielding percentage and AL-high 19 errors at shortstop. Volpe’s shoddy defense could also be affected by his shoulder ailment, a labrum tear which required multiple cortisone injections during the season.

Conversely, Caballero has just one error in 12 games at shortstop for the Yankees this season.

Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens