Volpe’s Future With Yankees Will Be Decided This Season

Out of all the disappointments the New York Yankees suffered in 2025, losing to their divisional foes in the ALDS was certainly the worst. However, as painful as that loss was, especially coming off a trip to the World Series the year prior, the Yankees have plenty more to worry about other than their playoff woes. One of these worries is Anthony Volpe, formerly one of New York’s most promising prospects, but now one of their biggest liabilities.

Volpe has already gone through a lot in his short tenure in the Bronx; for one, he came into the league with the expectation of being a franchise shortstop, and nothing less. On top of that, he had to play with a (partially) torn labrum through all of last season. This clearly had a major impact on both his offense, which wasn’t great to begin with, and his defense, which has arguably been his saving grace in his young career. Now, entering year four, Volpe not only has to recover from surgery on that torn labrum and find his way back onto the field, but also prove that he can be the franchise cornerstone that the Yankees still believe he can be.

Disillusioned

New York’s front office, which has always defended Volpe to the ends of the earth, appears to be a little discouraged by Volpe’s lack of improvement through three full seasons in the Majors. Still, they have every intention of giving him another chance, even with Jose Caballero, who was acquired at the trade deadline last season, creating some competition for the starting job. Manager Aaron Boone addressed this competition in an interview on WFAN (New York Sports Radio) last Monday, affirming:

“Now with Caballero in the mix, we have someone that it’s like, man, this guy is a really good Major League player…So, he started to push himself into the mix a little bit last year. I still think Anthony is going to be a frontline shortstop in this league. Everyone’s path isn’t linear. We always want it to be here, and that can be tough, especially in New York when you’re kind of finding your way. I think he’s gonna turn into that player, and I want it to be here. But bringing in guys like Caballero, I think that’s good for competition.”

Though Boone is still towing the party line, there is clearly some room for Caballero to sneak in and claim the starting job at shortstop. Of course, he’ll have to go above and beyond the Yankees’ expectations to even make them consider starting him over Volpe. Still, the fact that he was able to play outstanding defense, steal 15 bases, and record an .828 OPS in 40 games with New York shows that it is possible.

Proving It

As such, this year is the one in which Volpe has to, at the very least, show that he actually has the potential to be an everyday shortstop. Assuming he has a full recovery, his defense should go back to being excellent, like it was in his first two seasons. However, what he needs to worry about is producing on offense. An OPS of .662 over three seasons isn’t going to cut it no matter how it’s spun, so Volpe has to pick it up with the bat if he wants to prove that he’s not a bust.

Of course, even if Volpe doesn’t take the next step, that doesn’t necessarily mean that his time in New York is over. This season is simply about showing significant improvement, even if the numbers don’t back it up. Volpe still has three years left of service time before he hits free agency, so the Yankees still have more time to decide whether he will be a part of their future. Rather, 2026 is the year when the Yankees have to finally decide whether or not Volpe is their shortstop for the long haul.