Anthony Volpe has been the Yankees’ regular shortstop for close to three years now. Lately, he has struggled enough that José Caballero has taken some playing time. It’s possible that health is playing a role in Volpe’s downturn. He injured his left shoulder back in early May. Today, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that the shoulder discomfort has lingered since then and Volpe received a cortisone shot in that shoulder yesterday.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke to the media before tonight’s game and provided more details, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Boone confirmed the report of the cortisone shot and said Volpe has a small labrum tear in his shoulder. When the injury was discovered in May, they believed it was an old injury that he could play through. He has since aggravated it multiple times, including on Sunday. He also had a cortisone shot during the All-Star break, per Kuty. The Yanks don’t believe he needs an IL stint now. He will have another MRI after the season.
At the time of that injury, Volpe said he heard a “pop” in his shoulder but quickly felt better. “It happened quick and it was scary, but after that, I felt OK and I felt like I had my strength,” Volpe said at the time. “I’ve never really had anything else pop or dislocate or anything like that, so I have nothing to compare it to.”
Greg Joyce of The New York Post writes that the Yankees have consistently downplayed the shoulder injury even though Volpe is usually wrapped up in ice after most games. Just yesterday, Boone brushed off the problem, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
“I think early on after that, maybe a little bit,” the skipper said, when asked if Volpe’s shoulder has been impacting his performance. “I think it’s something that’s also improved over the course of the year. I feel like, even lately, it’s been in as good of a place as it’s been. I don’t necessarily think that’s the case, but he’s also a very tough kid and a gamer. I don’t think so, but I guess shouldn’t rule it out.”
As noted by Sherman, there’s a stark contrast between Volpe’s pre- and post-injury numbers. On May 4th, he had a .233/.326/.442 batting line. That translated to a 114 wRC+, indicating he was 14% better than league average at that point in the season. Since then, he has a .197/.248/.378 line and 70 wRC+.
It’s also possible that the injury is impacting Volpe defensively. He was credited with 15 Defensive Runs Saved in 2023 and six last year but is at just one here in 2025. Outs Above Average is even more notable. That metric gave Volpe a +1 grade in 2023 and +14 last year but has dropped him all the way to -9 here in 2025. Volpe made eight throwing errors in 2023 and nine last year but already has 13 in 2025, in a smaller sample of playing time.
Despite the declining numbers, Boone has stuck by Volpe. A couple of weeks ago, the skipper said that he still considered Volpe to be the club’s shortstop while Caballero was considered a “10th man” who could bounce around to various positions in a utility capacity.
More recently, it’s possible there’s been a shift. Caballero has started in place of Volpe in two of the past five games. It’s possible the cortisone shot leads to Volpe missing some more time, as players usually require a few days’ rest after receiving such injections.
On the one hand, it’s somewhat encouraging that Volpe’s struggles have a possible explanation. On the other hand, it’s a less than ideal situation at this time of year when every game is meaningful. The Yanks currently hold a Wild Card spot but they are in a tight battle with clubs like the Red Sox, Mariners, Rangers, Guardians, Royals and Rays. The Yanks are also surely hoping to chase down the Blue Jays for the division lead, currently trailing by just three games.
Sending Volpe to the injured list or simply sitting him for a few games could perhaps help his shoulder woes a bit but that would leave the club a bit thinner at shortstop as they play meaningful games. There would also be the risk of Volpe getting rusty after a layoff and not having time to get into a better groove.
For now, it seems Caballero could benefit from a bit more playing time. He has a solid .239/.345/.413 line since being acquired at the deadline but he has a career .226/.313/.335 slash and 89 wRC+. Even if his hitting is subpar, his glovework is good and he’s one of the top base stealers in the majors. If Volpe does require a stint on the IL, the Yanks could perhaps recall Braden Shewmake to serve as a glove-first backup to Caballero.
Photo courtesy of John Jones, Imagn Images
If I had a dollar for every time Boone said someone or something was ‘in a good place’ I’d have many dollars.
@BrianCashmansBurner
Then why do you still have him as manager? So he can take the heat away from you?
Probably because it’s up to the real Cashman and Yankees management and ownership, not anyone commenting on here.
It’s disingenuous to ask a commenter “Why do you…” anything.
@Blue Baron
Relax. I’m playing with his username. I did this in another thread and it was all in good fun. Maybe read the room next time…
Whatever floats your boat.
@Blue Baron
Whatever boats your float.
LOL
It doesn’t matter who’s boat it is, Volpe can only row with one arm.
Yeah Volpe needs to have surgery now, heal and comeback next season when he’s fully healthy before that small tear gets worse. If he doesn’t no more shortstop this season then.
If there’s ever been a player in team history who needed to be retained as a career Yankee at all costs, it would be Volpe.
Should be as much of a blank check/Brinks truck situation as there has ever been in MLB history.
As a Red Sox fan I second this motion.
The speed of Jacoby Ellsbury combined with the defense of Kevin Kiermaier combined with the intangibles of Joey Votto combined with the hustle of Peter Rose.
At least the Yankees, with all their problems, and Volpe is a major one, are not in last place. At least Mike Ellias was promoted. That’s something to feel good about.
I’m beginning to see a pattern here.
Reminder to MLBTR users:
“Yards of Camden” (recently (“Backinthebleachers” and “Boycottsidneysweeney” is an infamous known troll who keeps changing his name and profile to evade bans and mutes. His previous usernames are TheOpener, The Voices, Evan Stanleyson, TrojanToss, oi0ewt98er, TheFormerPlayer, Fan of the Umpires, VoiceofREASON, soulefh, Owensboro, 88 Brooklyn Dodgers, BinHenders, California 8, Alvo Sumatro, tikiagedola, Masculinetimwaltz, and rachelmaddowishot.
I know this because he uses the same schticks. Lately he’s been using controversial takes by putting out outlandish extension offers, hoping to start long-winding reply chains.
Some of you may be familiar with him, as a reminder, his past schticks are:
– “The next time they’re referred to as the “Trashtros” there’s going to be a problem.”
– “underrated city/team in all of sports, you can ask anybody”
– “Rome, Starke, Verducci, etc.”
– “Saw (injury) before seeing the rest of the headline and immediately figured it was about Mike Trout. Fragile guy.”
– “Outside chance at the hall of fame, (exaggerated percent) chance”
– “The joke is on the “A’s” if they leave Oakland like the pathetic cowards that they are.”
– If Joe Mauer got into the Hall of Fame which is laughable then it will be an outrage if they really do actually end up rejecting (player)”
– “Not 1 single other player from (veteran)’s rookie season is still playing for the (subject team). Almost unbelievable.”
– “Sign Trevor Bauer. Trevor is Waiting.”
– “Votto should be brought back for a 1 or 2 year retirement tour”
– “Did Toronto really sign a bad bodied first baseman to 500+ million?”
At this point, just mute him, report him or ignore him, because this type of trolling is the worst, it has compelled me to call him out like this.
Tim Dierkes, please find a way to IP block this troll, muting isn’t enough, people apparently sometimes keep replying to him.
This is a lot of work for an uninventive troll.
Do you have like a spreadsheet for all this???
The Yankees’ Achilles’ heel is balls in play.
I can usually tell who the writer is by reading the article first.
When I saw “pre- and post-pop numbers” I knew who it was, love the humor!!
Cashman upon entering the Team Physician’s office: “Where’s Volpe?”
Team Physician: “He’s in post-pop.” … LOL!!!
“We need him in K-Pop form now!”
YBC – As long as he didn’t have a Snap or a Crackle – then I’d be really worried!
Us fans are desperate for real answers. Douse him down in milk!
When are we going to start comparing based on position? A shortstop today has to either deliver top shelf defense or be much more than 14% of the overall league when batting. Certain positions command more respect and shortstop is one of them. If a team has a superstar at short, that’s more important than in left field or at second. Is it fair to compare a catcher’s batting stats to the overall average? Not in my book.
Volpe is 24th (81) out of 25 in wRC+ among qualified SSs. Traditional power positions aren’t really a thing anymore. Today, we’ve got first basemen who steals bases and infielders hitting more homeruns than outfielders combined. A powerless Luis Arraez would never be playing 1B ten years ago. I think it’s fair to use wRC+ as a comp.
+1 for recognizing the superior value of wRC+
A shortstop though needs to make all the routine plays in addition to having a strong arm and occasionally making that athletic play that a corner player typically doesn’t make. It’s why I prefer to compare to other shortstops. Certain saberstats to me are overrated as if you’re playing next to a poor defender, your defensive stats will likely suffer. Devers was horrible at third but his play was worsened by Story being out the last few seasons.
Derek Jeter was statistically one of the worst defensive SS in history. How’d that work out?
Having a weak player next to you increases the number of balls they field, which increases range in the stats. Of course, Devers showed the range of an ottoman with Story healthy, so it didn’t matter in his case.
Sounds like Volpe should be on IL to let his shoulder heal and get himself right.
Caballero deserves a shot to see if he can be a decent SS for the Yankees.
I wouldn’t worry about him going into a slump after an IL stint. I’d be more worried about the slump he has been in without the IL stint.
Oof. This sounds like the Kyle Tucker sitch from a month or so ago.
“Baby Jeter”
This situation is exactly what Boras is hoping for. Big spender NYY needs a SS upgrade but doesn’t want to commit to Bichette, so they can make a multi-year offer to Ha-Seong Kim that would be substantially more than 16M he’s guaranteed, but much much less than the 150M+ Bichette will be seeking. Plus, Kim can play above-average IF as a high-floor for that salary, that would allow them to continue giving Volpe a chance, if they wanted.
Run – Story may be available ;O)
Yes, would be a more expensive and possibly better option, but who do you not want to have a convo with more: Boras (Kim) or Breslow with your arch nemesis (Story)? Which one can Cashman keep more of his pride intact?
Run – Story has an opt out after this season, so Cashman wouldn’t have to talk to Breslow ;O)
I really don’t see Story opting out. He’s had a great rebound season and there or de Grom will be comeback player of the year. That said, he’s still not far removed from his injury history and I don’t see him getting more years.
dewey – If he keeps playing the way he has, I think there’s a decent chance he does opt out. The free agent market is really thin, and there’s always a team that’s willing to take a big risk with injury-plagued players.
You mentioned deGrom, look at the massive contract he got despite the huge amount of time he had spent on the IL with the Mets.
Offensively, Volpe looks like a guy caught in launch angle limbo. He really wants to be a power hitter but doesn’t really hit the ball consistently hard enough to put up big power numbers. It also seems like the more he struggles, the more he tries to make up for it by hitting a HR. I think he needs to level out his swing a little and focus on taking more walks. Let his teammates hit the bombs.
He needs to season in the minors and work on pitch recognition. His ABs against Scherzer the other night were horrendous. Couldn’t lay off that outside pitch at all.
Dr. Boone would spend a fortune in malpractice insurance with assessments…
Maybe if he had someone on second base telling him what pitch was coming?
Cheaters.
Recognizing pitches is cheating? Who knew?
Raven – I think he’s referring to Cora and Bregman being caught in an intimate embrace on the jumbotron at Gillette Stadium during a Coldplay concert.
@whyhayzee
Nothing wrong with cheating. If your team is bad at cheating, blame the coaching staff and players for not being able to cheat properly.
As runDMC says: Is like that, and that’s the way it is!
He’s clearly a bust who has some raw power but not much else to offer. He’s shown some streakiness and has had a few lucky hits that look better than their actual quality, but overall I consider volpe a bust relative to the hype.
He’d be a great bargain bin pick up for a team trying to piece together Quadruple-A talent to create a facsimile of a major league quality team make up, but that’s about the upper limit of his potential.
Trade ONeil Cruz for Anthony Volpe?
Watch the angels, go 16-2 the rest of the way, and force a playoff spot.
Last nights game (urena), he was hungry to let them score, only one run.
The team is hungry. Trout batting first, and the angels making the playoffs at this point, would be a huge story.. the team just needs to win, 8 in a row, twice. Now is a good time, for their biggest hot streak ever. Wouldn’t it be great, if this happens. This is only thinking big. It is do able. Umpires will help, at calling what’s needed, to create huge waves of publicity and revenue. People will say, I thought Mike trout wasn’t playing anymore.
Keep dreaming!
Yeah that’d be cool. Now stop microphoning and pass it already.
This is how they ruined Greg Birds career
Not getting the proper medical care for his ankle injury
I think volpe is a great player
He is being mismanaged by the Yankees
He needs proper medical care and move him to second base
Then prepare Lombard for SS
Screw those overpaid players who want 40 million a year
Excellent call. This is exactly what is happening. Cash & Co. are getting ready to bench him, so they want to start spinning his performance as an injury issue rather than their stubborn refusal to move on. His YoY stats are right in line with previous years. And I’m not sure how a “shoulder issue” can honestly be connected with his inability to recognize / make good swing decisions on pitches away. Word is out around the league, it seems.
spot on. Typical Yankees gaslighting the fans.
I think Volpe can be a better-than-average player. A star, not so sure. But Boone is not a reliable source. It’s not that he wants to mislead….he’s just not good in relaying facts. The Yankees need a cold-eyed reassessment after this season.
I believe he’s 25-25 and above-average defense caliber with low average and OBP. Likely not with the Yankees. It’s a win-now team every year so we’re conditioned to be impatient. If Cash doesn’t want to give up on him yet, Boone’s hands are tied if he wants to keep his job. I don’t feel so bad for him as he’s getting paid millions. Jomboy will keep talking about it all winter and Boone will frustratingly provide the same answers like he always does.
this is just typical Yankees gaslighting us. They’re saving face, for all the accolades they gave this kid ,and all the free agents that passed on because he was supposedly the future. Now some fictitious injury has come to light. OK sure.
When are the Yankees gonna start telling the truth? They’ve hidden or downplayed Volpe’s injury all along. That’s led to the fan base abandoning support for Volpe, and Boone eroding his own credibility even further. The worst is that the team has disrespected the fans. “You’re wrong to criticize Volpe. Don’t believe your lyin’ eyes.” It’s gaslighting.
We all need to find someone who loves us, like Boone loves Volpe.
Just end his season already. He stinks now and does more harm than good. Let him heal or whatever for next year and move him to his proper position, second. Get rid of Jazz and bring up Lombard.
Crashman, stop with playing so many people out of position. We don’t need two or three second basemen (Volpe, Jazz, and DJL). We need one and a real shortstop.
Lombard literally just turned 20. And really? DJM? He has been gone awhile now. Tell us more about how little you know about the game.
I used DJL as a reference to how Crashman constructs his roster. He’s done the same with with center fielders (Jacoby and Gardner). Two hulking right fielders (Judge and Stanton). He does this all the time and it never seems to work.
And yes, I follow the game.
What’s wrong with Jazz at 2B? How does moving Volpe there make the team better? Lombard, Jr. isn’t ready. Have you seen his strikeout rate at AA? I do agree with shelving Volpe for Caballero in light of this very recent development.
Lombard is just the latest overhyped bust.
I don’t know how you can call a kid who just turned 20 in June playing in AA a bust. Or perhaps that’s what you want so you can say “I told you so!” to the clouds.
I have a torn non-throwing shoulder labrum right now so first hand I can tell you that you could play through it, but it would make things more difficult. This could definitely have contributed to his errors with the glove in the field, as quick movements could hurt him quite a bit.
It sounds like it may be best for both parties to just get this addressed now since he is not helping the team in his current state and could probably be ready for Spring Training next year
Keeping him on the field is dumber than the Masyn Winn situation. At least Winn has been staying productive. A torn labrum has a much steeper full recovery period. And it’s not insignificant if Volpe requires a cortisone shot.
For what it’s worth, I got a cortisone shot on mine as an initial thing to aid my physical therapy and it did absolutely nothing lol. Going for surgery in November woo!
@YBC – It sure does seem as if the Yankees have not been handling this in the best way possible. Either from the perspective of the long term health of the player, or in their own transparency.
Agreed 100%. Volpe needs to rehab and start over fresh. The Yankees need production at shortstop for a playoff run. The only logical solution is to shut him down for the rest of the season.
@dankyank Guys on The Athletics boards are all suspecting that this is only an excuse to sit Volpe. I can’t say that has no validity because it certainly doesn’t make any sense for him to play with a tear which can easily get worse. The trust in Boone’s words have certainly eroded there.
They call it an excuse but don’t dispute the validity. There’s no upside to playing through this, only the risk of further aggravating the injury.
So sick of the negligence with this team. Fire them all
And the other 2 years?
I wonder if he got proper medical care
They screwed up with bird and frazier and rizzo and several others
Yeah, i apologize for being skeptical especially if it’s true, however i can’t help thinking that report is hogwash. We’re being flimflamed ,bamboozled, hoodwinked…”we didn’t land on Plymouth Rock ,Plymouth rock landed on us”.
I feel like, even lately, it’s been in as good of a place as it’s been. I don’t necessarily think that’s the case, but he’s also a very tough kid and a gamer. I don’t think so, but I guess shouldn’t rule it out.”
====================
Can someone translate that for me?
That’s Boonese, a truly frustrating language
Few speak Baboone, so translations are difficult. From what I can gather, he is saying, “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, I just listen to that bald guy upstairs. I’m not even sure how I got this job to be honest, but I know the guys like me. I let them do what they want and I don’t make them do drills. They hate drills.”
I’m not a medical expert, but it seems pretty careless to let him play through multiple aggravations. Even if he could ‘play through it,’ would it not be better for him to fully rest and heal it?
No wonder his defense hasn’t been sharp.
of course
Shut him down. Have it surgically repaired. If he’s ready for spring training and struggles; start him in AAA next season. Volpe has all his options still. Time to use them when his performance is not up to snuff. I dont want this guy playing injured in October when he has proven he is not a quality player while playing injured.
So again the Yankees do what they do best…..hide an injury, and then let the press and fans dementedly show their feelings and magically Cash and Boone admit and use an injury as their out for poor performance…….christ, in the age of marketing doesn’t Cashman and his team get it…..
If he has been hurt, why run him out there for him to be a liability on the field and a quick out at the plate? This is so dumb, but then again look how long it took to diagnose the concussion on Rizzo.
Yet again, the Yankees organization has mismanaged a player injury.
Send him packing in the offseason.
Oh, no, he doesn’t have to play through that! He can stop anytime he wants.
Please! Please stop playing through the injury. Stop. Stop playing….please.