Sep 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) throws the ball during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Yankees Manager Beginning to Crack on Struggling Shortstop

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The New York Yankees played Jose Caballero in their second game with the Detroit Tigers, opting for their deadline acquisition over struggling starting shortstop Anthony Volpe. Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who has been criticized for his hesitation to move on from Volpe, is still considering the best course of action on the shortstop question.

“We’re in day-to-day mode,” Boone said, after the Yankees' first brutal beating by the Tigers (h/t Greg Joyce of the New York Post). “We’re playing for a lot right now. I have a decision to make every day with the lineup and whatever tough decision I think that is, I’ll make it."

"My hope is that he can get it going here to a point where he is that guy. Because I think when we’re at our best, he’s out there impacting us on both sides of the ball and it frees up Cabby to play a different role, too. But that said, we’ll make a decision day by day.”

Volpe is batting .146/ .183/ .262over his last 30 games, and his 81 WRC+ is among the worst in the league (141st of 146 qualified hitters), indicating that he is 19% worse than the average league player. He may become the ninth player in the last five years to achieve a WRC+ worse than 80 in a season.

Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Caballero is off to a strong start in pinstripes, batting .239/ .345/ .413 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs in 27 games. The Yankees have been accused of counting on home runs as their only offensive strategy this season, and while Volpe has him beat there, his defensive abilities have been even more questionable than his batting abilities. Volpe holds the second-most errors in the MLB, second only to Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz.

Without much time left to get their act together, the Yankees should be looking to make these obvious improvements. If it is what it looks like, that Volpe is struggling with the mental part of the game, a stint in Triple-A might do him good, even just to get away from the constant negative attention.

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