MLB Insiders Blast New York Yankees Slugger’s Huge Step Back at Plate

With Saturday's game rained out, that gives New York Yankees players a chance to clear their head before a double header on Sunday with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The break might do Yankee shortstop Anthony Volpe some good.

This has not been the season he was hoping for to this point. After 26 games he’s slashed .202/.303/.394 with four home runs and 15 RBI. On a team that was setting franchise records offensively the first few weeks of the season, that won't cut it.

The belief entering 2025 was that Volpe would build on the progress he showed last season, specifically when it came to his slash line. He slashed .243/.293/.364 with 12 home runs and 60 RBI.

The power took a step back from his rookie season, when he slammed 21 home runs and 60 RBI in 2023 to finish eighth in American League rookie of the year voting. But, he also slashed .209/.283/.383 that season. So, his slash in 2024 represented real progress.

Now, he appears to be regressing back to his rookie slash and the locals in New York City are noticing and, as one might expect, letting them know about it.

WFAN radio personality Brandon Tierney told listeners on Friday that the Yankees have an “Anthony Vople” problem, taking shots at the third-year pro’s lack of production at the plate, in comments collected by Pro Football Network.

“He’s just not getting better,” he said. “It is year three. It is almost May. He is hitting .198, after hitting .209 in his first year and .243 [in his second year], which, at this point, feels like Wade Boggs. Volpe has, quite frankly, just not earned the right to play every night.”

The shot at Boggs was likely about the Baseball Hall of Famer’s power, which wasn’t his forte. The third baseman hit just 118 MLB home runs but carried a lifetime slash of .328/.415/.443, one of the best career batting averages in baseball history.

So, Volpe has power but he’s not hitting for average. What can the Yankees do about that? Ride it out? Given him a day on the bench? Make swing tweaks? Put a torpedo bat in his hands?

His value isn’t entirely tied to his bat. He’s an AL Gold Glove shortstop who can also steal bases.

The current downturn is so concerning that Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently posed the idea of sending Volpe back to Triple-A to work things out. It doesn’t sound like the Yankees are interested in that, as publicly manager Aaron Boone has been supportive.

It’s a 162-game season and Volpe’s bat could turn around at some point. But, right now he’s taking the head from all sides after an awful start.