Aug 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) throws on the run and forces out St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Anthony Volpe Reveals Yankees Lineup Plans

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Delilah Bourque | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees were finally able to nab one more win against the Boston Red Sox in the final of a four game series from Yankee Stadium, winning the ballgame 7-2. There was one player conspicuously absent from New York's lineup: shortstop Anthony Volpe.

To say that Volpe is a divisive figure amongst fans and analysts alike would be underselling the situation. Calls to remove Volpe from the team or demote him to the minors have only gotten louder since the trade deadline. Now, those calling for his removal may just get their wish, with Volpe out of the lineup for the Yankees' next game.

According to a post by The Athletic's Brendan Kuty, Volpe will be absent from the Pinstripes' first game of a three game series against the Washington Nationals. While some fans may be rejoicing at the error-prone shortstop's exclusion, he also told Kuty that he would be back for the second game.

Anthony Volpe said he was told he's out of the starting lineup tomorrow vs. the Nationals, but will be back in Tuesday.
— Brendan Kuty ‍♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) August 25, 2025

Volpe ranks second in the league for errors committed this season, with 17, just behind Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, with 19. On a team that has been plagued with embarrassing, game-losing errors all season, it's getting more and more difficult to justify keeping him in the lineup. On top of that, he's also slashing just .208/ .274/ .400. Those are not bad numb ers by any means, but they aren't fantastic ones either.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been a staunch defender of Volpe's this season, but even he could not back up the struggling short stop after the Yankees' 1-12 loss to the Red Sox.

“It’s just been a scuffle offensively here over the past week, 10 days,” Boone said about Volpe (h/t MLB.com's Bryan Hoch).

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In lieu of Volpe, trade deadline addition José Caballero got the start for the Yankees' win. Caballero has done well in Pinstripes, hitting two home runs and slashing .286/ .382/ .536 in his 15 games played since the trade deadline. If Volpe continues to struggle, the Yankees could opt to start Caballero more and more often.

As the regular season draws nearer to the end, it's do-or-die for a Yankees team that has lost their lead on the AL East and is just sneaking into the AL Wild Card standings. With everything on the line, New York has to be more willing to experiment with finding an effective lineup: that means Volpe's benching could extend beyond more than just the team's first game against the Nationals.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!