The New York Yankees’ 29-year-old shortstop is known for exploiting MLB’s pitch clock rules to his advantage. In fact, just this Monday, his routine sparked a benches-clearing incident and was once again at the center of attention during Wednesday’s first game of the doubleheader. After the Yankees dropped the game 5-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates, manager Aaron Boone addressed the pitch clock drama that unfolded in the sixth inning.

“I plead the Fifth here. Major League Baseball came out with something new today, and we have to change again,” Boone said, per SNY Yankees on X.

“Very, it’s embarrassing,” added the skipper when asked about how frustrating the situation was.

The Yankees’ shortstop Jose Caballero tends to settle into the batter’s box and complete his entire routine without making eye contact with the pitcher. He waits until the last possible second, specifically the eighth second, to engage the pitcher. With the Yankees trailing 2-0 on Wednesday, Caballero’s stalling tactics on an 0-1 count resulted in an automatic strike, raising the count to 0-2.

Reliever Carmen Mlodzinski struck him out on the next pitch. After the umpire penalized Caballero with a time violation, the shortstop and the manager got involved in a heated exchange with the umpires at home plate. As the home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott told him he cannot “do the 3 or 4 seconds in the box anymore,” Caballero was surprised. The mics caught him alleging that the umpires were “picking” on him.

“It’s not the first time the league has changed a rule on me… I didn’t get notice before,” Caballero said, per SNY Yankees.

The Yankees claimed they were not informed in advance that Caballero could not follow his usual routine.

“It’s not allowed anymore,” crew chief Adrian Johnson explained, per The Athletic. “It was the cause of a benches-clearing situation on Monday night. Major League Baseball stepped in. They want it enforced.”

According to MLB rules, the pitch clock is set at 15 seconds with the bases empty and 18 seconds with runners on base. Batters must be alert to the pitcher by the eight-second mark, or an automatic strike is called against them. If a pitcher fails to begin his delivery in time, an automatic ball is called against him. A pitcher cannot come set until the batter is alert to him.

Moving on, the argument at home plate caused a delay, as Boone also came down to talk to the umpires. And as the Yankees hitting coach James Rowson yelled at Johnson from the dugout, the umpire ejected him.

Following the game, Boone revealed that MLB believes Caballero is trying to deceive the pitcher into committing a time violation. If he engages before the eight-second mark, he can’t do that. Caballero has denied the accusations. What bothered the Yankees, however, was that they were not informed about the directive before the game. Johnson later told the pool reporters that the league had instructed the umpires to call the time violation without prior notice.

“He’s been warned all season. We were instructed not to warn him,” Johnson said. “We were instructed to violate him. That’s what it is. It’s a violation.”

With the newest rule in place, Caballero must tread carefully in his upcoming games.