Rumors Surround Yankees Infield Entering Offseason

Anthony Volpe

Anthony Volpe, meanwhile, continues to look like a bust and should not be a starter on a team with championship aspirations. Volpe went 1-for-15 with 11 strikeouts in the AL Division Series — the highest strikeout rate in ALDS history. He endured another dreadful offensive season, serving as a black hole in the Yankees’ lineup for most of the year. Coupled with the major defensive regression he showed in 2025, Volpe was a net negative for the team.

Volpe won the 2023 AL Gold Glove at shortstop, but 2025 saw the biggest regression of his career. According to Statcast, Volpe had a career-worst -6 outs above average in 2025. While no metric tracks this stat, a lot of Volpe’s struggles came in the highest leverage spots, with at least two botched plays at short leading to Yankees losses, which in turn cost them the AL East title.

The Yankees will likely try to salvage Volpe because moving on from him would symbolize the failure of a former first-round pick, but such loyalty is not in the best interest of either the player or the organization. Brian Cashman and the organization have propped Volpe up as the next Derek Jeter and have defended him at every turn of negativity he faced. The Yankees will now have to face the music about Volpe once again after a very rough season, both offensively and defensively, and it will be interesting to see how the Yankees respond this time around as the sample size increases.

The Last Word

The Yankees are not far from reclaiming their spot as the bride of baseball rather than the perennial bridesmaid — but to get there, the front office must abandon its commitment to players who are underperforming or costing the team games through complacency.