The New York Yankees organization and their fans expected a lot more from Anthony Volpe in his third year. The former top prospect showed signs of promise in last year’s postseason, but he’s performed well below expectations in 2025.
Perhaps the blame for Volpe’s struggles cannot be solely placed on the 24-year-old, who was rarely given an off day before the club acquired Jose Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays. For now, that is up to interpretation. However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Volpe has played better after a few days off.
What version of Volpe will the Yankees get in 2026? Will they cut ties with the former first-round pick?
Anthony Volpe Negatively Hurt the Yankees in 2025
There may be other players on New York’s roster who played subpar baseball during the regular season, but it was hard to hide Volpe’s inefficiencies at shortstop. A few weeks ago, the Yankees announced that Volpe had a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. He suffered the injury on a diving attempt on May 3.
But Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller did not make excuses for Volpe’s injury, stating that he has been the Yankees’ worst player in 2025.
“For much of the season, Devin Williams would have been the obvious pick here. But with 11 fielding errors and a .169/.224/.352 triple-slash while the Yankees went 27-35 from mid-June through late-August, Anthony Volpe gradually became the primary target for the rage of Yankees fansâaside from Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman, of course,” Miller wrote on September 23.
“After starting darn near every game at shortstop over the past three seasons, whether he’ll do so this October is both an unknown and a heated discussion point.”
Since the Yankees traded for Caballero, he’s logged 36 games and has 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts with a 137 OPS+. He does not reach free agency until 2030, and there may be support for him to be New York’s starting shortstop in the upcoming postseason.
Will Anthony Volpe Return in 2026?
Volpe has a career-low batting average of .211, and his .670 OPS is the worst among Yankees players who have made at least 100 appearances in 2025. Mid-season acquisition Ryan McMahon has a .624 OPS in 49 games with the Yankees. He owned a .717 mark during the first 100 games of the year with the Colorado Rockies.
It’s hard to imagine the Yankees giving up on Volpe, given their loyalty and trust in him over the last few seasons. However, there are a few shortstops on the upcoming free agent market they could consider. Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays will be the top name available.
“Of course, I never discount the Dodgers and Yankees as potential landing spots, either,” MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand wrote last week. “Mookie Betts could slide back into the outfield to open up shortstop in L.A., and the Anthony Volpe era could be ending as we speak.”
The Yankees could also bring Amed Rosario back for a second season, but he’s more of a third or second baseman at this point in his career. He’s also a poor defender, as evidenced by his negative seven outs above average this year.
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