The New York Yankees finally acknowledged something is not right with Anthony Volpe.
The third-year shortstop was scratched for the second straight night, in New York’s series finale against the Detroit Tigers, with a left-shoulder injury.
Volpe is last among Yankees regulars in OPS (.661) and leads all American League shortstops in errors (19). Yet, he also leads the Yankees and is eighth among all major-league shortstops in games played (141).
What Did The Yankees Say About Anthony Volpe’s Shoulder Injury?
The Yankees have publicly backed Volpe without referencing his shoulder injury. But Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Volpe has been dealing with the injury for most of the season — the New York Post reported Volpe had a cortisone shot in his non-throwing shoulder stemming from an injury sustained in early May.
“I feel like even lately, itâs been in as good a place as itâs been,â Boone said of Volpe’s shoulder. âBut heâs also a very tough kid and a gamer. So, I donât think [it has affected his play], but I guess I shouldnât rule it out.
âBut I also think itâs something thatâs also improved over the course of the year.â
Despite Volpe’s ongoing struggles, and the fact he plays every day, the Yankees still lead the majors in runs scored (752), home runs (246) and OPS (.781). Yet, much of that is a function of AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton’s renaissance season, plus a huge year from Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr and Trent Grisham — who have combined for 86 home runs between them.
Still, the Yankees are trying to chase down the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League East lead. New York entered play three games back of Toronto for the division lead.
Boone is hoping that, with some rest, Volpe can get back to the player he was when he helped the Yankees reach the World Series in 2024.
“Weâre in day-to-day mode,â Boone said. âWeâre playing for a lot right now. I have a decision to make every day with the lineup, and whatever tough decision I think that is, Iâll make it.
“My hope is [Volpe] can kind of get it going here to a point where he is that guy. When weâre at our best, heâs out there impacting us on both sides of the ball.â
Who Is Filling In For Anthony Volpe?
Jose Caballero is starting at shortstop for the second straight night and for the third time in New York’s past six games.
Thursday was Caballero’s sixth outing at shortstop for the Yankees since they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31, and he had not yet made an error. Caballero is slashing .239/.345/.413 with two home runs, six RBIs and nine stolen bases in 27 games for the Yankees.
According to New York Post insider Joel Sherman, the Yankees could decide to go with Caballero instead of Volpe in the postseason. Baseball Reference gives the Yankees a 97 percent chance of making the playoffs, and FanGraphs gives them just a 13 percent chance of winning the AL East.
Yet, so far, Boone has opted to use Caballero as a super-utility player, since he can play almost every position on the field.
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