It’s not often that Aaron Judge admits to disliking someone. Yet, there was a time when he couldn’t stand one of his teammates. Oh, and Judge, in the midst of another MVP season, took home the American League Player of the Week on Monday. While that fits his usual nature, the tougher pill to swallow is that he once held a tiny grudge against the Yankees’ current shortstop.

It’s Jose Caballero, who has started at shortstop for the sixth straight game on Monday. The 29-year-old utility infielder finally got his shot at consistent playing time, and he seems to enjoy it.

Well, that debate is for another day. Aaron Judge admitted it directly to Caballero earlier that he “hated” playing against him. For the record, Caballero was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at this trade deadline.

Turns out, Judge wasn’t alone in feeling that way for Cabby. He also heard this ongoing narrative from Caballero’s former teammates. “They were like, ‘I can see where you guys might get mad at some of the stuff he does, or why he gets under your skin, but when he’s on your team and he’s fighting for you, you’re going to see how special he is and what he means to your ballclub.’” Judge acknowledged that Caballero has traits that can frustrate opponents.

Still, when he came to the Bronx, Judge was welcoming towards him anyway. “I think everyone’s embraced that and really, truly sees what he brings to this team.” He’s been a savior for the Yankees as of late.

Making the most of his opportunity of playing at shortstop, Caballero accrued 1.1 bWAR in 31 games as a Yankee. It matches Anthony Volpe’s output across 141 games. By fWAR, Caballero led Volpe 0.9 to 0.6. So, while from the other side, Cabby somehow got on Judge’s nerves, it’s a whole different story with having the 24-year-old in pinstripes.

Jose Caballero’s sixth straight start for the Yankees

After delivering five exceptional starts, Caballero was back at shortstop on Monday night at Target Field against the Minnesota Twins. What’s more telling is the fact that his latest start came while Anthony Volpe was available. It’s because Boone had previously made it clear that shortstop and other roles as well will be decided on a “day-to-day” basis.

Before Monday’s game, Boone praised Caballero for his efforts. “[Caballero] is playing great. So we’re at that time of year where it’s all hands on deck.” According to Boone, one can never know on a given day who has the most important role.

Moving forward, he expects both Volpe and Caballero to play well in the remaining stretch. The Yankees’ Skipper also revealed that Volpe could have “probably” started on Monday, but then that didn’t happen. It seems like even if Caballero has taken over the starting role at shortstop, Boone might not admit that.

After making five straight starts at shortstop, Caballero is hitting 6-for-18 (.333) with a .980 OPS. During the Boston series, he had turned in a stunning defensive play in the eighth inning. It was a series finale game, and it started to make sense why the Yankees and Boone would prefer having more starts from him.