Another disappointing season from New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe is cause for concern. The Yankees cannot afford to receive a lack of offensive production from one of the more critical positions on the field.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone has a chance to create a competition at shortstop for the starting gig in spring training. Mid-season acquisition José Caballero should receive the same opportunity as Volpe, but New York continues to give the 24-year-old unwavering support.
With free agency looming, general manager Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office must decide if the players they have in-house at shortstop are enough to turn them from a great team to an exceptional one.
Yankees’ Anthony Volpe Must Improve at the Plate
The reality of the Yankees‘ shortstop situation for next year is that Volpe is the favorite to start. It appears unlikely that the organization will give up on a former first-round draft pick with three years remaining until free agency. However, his lack of production with a bat in hand is staggering.
“Itâs now been three years of awful offensive production from Volpe. To compensate for this, his defense would have to be elite. It was not in 2025,” wrote Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “The majority of the fan base probably wants Volpe off the roster, but thatâs likely not happening. Some fans will call for the Yankees to sign Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, an impending free agent, but that also wouldnât make sense. Heâs the worst defender at shortstop, and his offense likely wonât age well.”
Compared to 2024, Volpe’s power numbers increased from 12 home runs to 19. But his numbers decreased in nearly every other category. Aside from his chase rate, Volpe’s Baseball Savant page is a sea of dark blue. To make matters worse, his struggles with the bat carried over to the field, where he accumulated negative six outs above average.
Anthony Volpe, José Caballero, or the Free Agent Market?
If Cashman and the Yankees decide to pursue a shortstop this winter, the options are slim.
“Hereâs the reality of the free-agent shortstop market: Beyond Bichette, the best-available shortstops are Miguel Rojas (Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s enemy), Ha-Seong Kim (who likely will pick up his player option), Trevor Story (who could opt out, but the Red Sox could void it by adding an additional year to his contract) or Isiah Kiner-Falefa, which, yeah,” wrote Kirschner.
“That leaves the likeliest option for a potential upgrade to come internally â via a competition between Volpe and José Caballero. Boone has mentioned he likes Caballero more in a utility role, bouncing among second base, shortstop, and third base. But the Yankees should at least consider the possibility Caballero could offer more than Volpe, as he provides better contact rates and chaos on the basepaths.”
If the Yankees are serious about contending for a championship in 2026, they will consider making changes at shortstop. The rest of the infield seems to be locked in — with Ryan McMahon at third base, Chisholm at second, and Ben Rice splitting time with an unidentified right-handed hitter at first base.
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