The New York Yankees have won consecutive laughers with Anthony Volpe on the bench, but manager Aaron Boone has not wavered about who his starting shortstop is.
Boone gave Volpe a vote of confidence before New York’s 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, where Volpe sat for the second straight game.
The Yankees (71-60) kept pace with the Boston Red Sox and continue to sit just one game back of Boston for the first American League wild-card spot. They also trail the Toronto Blue Jays by just 5.5 games with 31 games to play.
Why Didn’t Anthony Volpe Start At Shortstop For the Yankees?
Volpe, a 2023 Gold Glove winner and the Yankees’ shortstop during their trip to the World Series a season ago, has played 129 games. Though he did not start for the Yankees in their 7-2 win Sunday in their series-finale win against Boston, he did finish the game at short.
Many thought it was just a day off for Volpe, yet when Jose Caballero’s name was listed as the starting shortstop again for the series opener Monday against Washington, Boone understandably started getting questions.
“I plan on having [Volpe] back in [at shortstop] tomorrow,” Boone said. “I just wanted to give him a couple [days off] here, at least at the start anyway.”
Volpe leads all Yankees in games played by far — Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt are the only other Yankees players with 120 games played — yet has struggled both at the plate and in the field this year.
He is slashing .208/.274/.400 and has the second-most errors (17) and the second-worst fielding percentage (.962) among qualifying shortstops ahead of only Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds.
“Just a reset,” Boone said when asked what he is hoping to accomplish with the days off. “Just hopefully a little blow in the grind of the season, something that serves him down the stretch.”
Boone affirmed his belief in Volpe.
“I view Anthony as our shortstop,” Boone said.
Part of Boone’s explanation was about how people perceive Volpe. He has a low batting average but is third on the team in stolen bases (15), third in RBIs (65) and is fourth on the team in home runs (18).
“Production comes in a lot of different ways,” Boone said. “I think people want him, because he’s a shortstop with speed, [they think] he has to hit for a certain average and do certain things. Productive offensive players come in many shapes and forms.
“He’s got a lot of ability. He’s shown a lot of flashes of that. I think the next thing for Anthony is the consistency part and eliminating some of the peaks and valleys.”
What Is Jose Caballero’s Role With the Yankees?
The Yankees acquired Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31, in a move seen as primarily giving them depth.
Yet, Caballero has been an indispensable member of the Yankees since the trade, slashing .286/.382/.536 with two homers, eight runs scored and six stolen bases in just 17 games — he went 1 for 4 with a run scored Monday.
He also has played four different positions for the Yankees so far, and Yankees fans should expect to see more of him into October.
“I view [Caballero] getting a lot of run in a lot of different spots,” Boone said.
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