Insider Predicts Yankees Shortstop Situation

It was night and day from Jose Caballero in game one, who had a rare off-game on defense, and was thrown out on the base paths. The two seemed to switch bodies in this Bronx depiction of "Freaky Friday." The lane to drop Volpe in the lineup was there for the Yankees and manager Aaron Boone, who has an unending belief in Volpe, even with a characteristically poor 2025.

One insider weighed in on who will ultimately be the postseason shortstop. According to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, despite Jose Caballero's impressive series against the Red Sox, the Yanks will ultimately go with Volpe.

"Twice, Boone has seemed to drop hints as to his preference. Boone called Caballero a "10th man" on Aug. 25. He then said Caballero "is not a guy who plays every single day" on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Volpe had been the Yankees' starting shortstop in 445 of the 459 games he has played since his debut in 2023."

Kuty concluded by standing behind his Volpe pick, while also laying a bit of skepticism on whether the inconsistent shortstop will actually hold up.

"It seems likely the Yankees will give Volpe a bit more runway to prove he's healthy and that he can be productive post-cortisone shot, but will he hold up his end?"

After the game, Volpe spoke about his shoulder. He said it is feeling much better with the treatments.

"It feels like when we do all the treatments and all the stuff that actually works," Volpe said, h/t Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "Before that, we were working on stuff, and it was either the same or obviously worse. After you do hours of treatment and rehab and stuff like that, that's where it's kind of frustrating. But now it feels like in a good spot where you can build day to day and get better."

On the season, Volpe's .208 average is the lowest of his career, and his .667 OPS is about where he has been since debuting. The one positive in his offensive game is his career high in RBI. This year, Volpe has 71.

More than Volpe's bat, his defense will be the big question mark heading into October. Volpe's one defensive runs saved and -9 outs above average are also career lows for a gold glove caliber shortstop who has at least been a plus defender his entire career.

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