Yankees Made Grave Error With Trade Addition

Anthony Volpe Injury

In September, general manager Brian Cashman said that his shortstop would not require surgery and that he would get tested again once the season was over.

"They'll just repeat imaging at the end of the year and see where he's at," Cashman said, according to Gary Phillips on X on September 12th, "but as of right now, there's no surgery recommended. There's not even an IL recommendation."

Watching Volpe struggle without understanding why it was happening was confusing enough. Now that there are more answers and he is indeed getting surgery on that shoulder, it begs the question of why the organization continued to trot him out there once they had traded for Jose Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays. It's hard to say whether Caballero would have made a difference, but Volpe was abysmal in the American League Division Series.

In 15 plate appearances, Volpe struck out 11 times against the Jays' pitching. In four games, he had one hit. Volpe had struggled so much that in the ninth inning of game four, manager Aaron Boone lifted him for Jasson Dominguez, who ended up doubling and was driven home by Aaron Judge.

Should've Started Caballero

Caballero, on the other hand, had one plate appearance in that series. The only game he started in October was the first one against the Boston Red Sox. From there, he watched from the bench.

If the Yankees were going by merit, Caballero more than earned his shot over Volpe. He undoubtedly should have been allowed to start, knowing just how bad Volpe's shoulder was, despite the Yankees saying otherwise.

Caballero was excellent after being acquired. In 95 plate appearances, he hit .266/.372/.456. He had six doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, and 15 stolen bases.

His defense was otherworldly as well. While Volpe was a negative asset at the position, Caballero's glove shone. The utility man who can play anywhere on the field had five outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. Anthony Volpe had -6 after having 13 in 2024.

Having Volpe start in the postseason can now be added to the list of reasons why the Yankees found themselves facing another disappointing finish to the season.

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