Yankees Struggling Shortstop Stands Out for Wrong Reason as Slide Continues

Anthony Volpe came back from a two-game benching this week, but the struggles haven’t gone away. On Wednesday, he went 0-for-5 with a strikeout. In a 12-2 romp over the Nationals, Volpe was the only Yankee who failed to reach base.

That seems like an exclamation point on his slump.

That line just adds to what’s become an extended freefall. Volpe is 1-for-his-last-37 over the last 11 games with 14 strikeouts. His season numbers already showed the decline — a .198 average since the All-Star break, a .289 wOBA, and a .316 expected wOBA. Baseball Savant puts him near the middle of the pack in hard-hit rate (around 45%) and average exit velocity (89 mph), but the production isn’t there. He’s not hitting the ball consistently enough to make those numbers matter.

It’s compounded by his defense, which has slipped at the same time. He leads American League shortstops in errors and ranks near the bottom of advanced metrics like Outs Above Average. When a young shortstop isn’t hitting and isn’t saving runs in the field, the leash tightens.

Aaron Boone insists Volpe is “wired right” to fight through it. But the reality is the Yankees have options. José Caballero has been steady since arriving from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, offering clean defense and tougher at-bats. He’s not Volpe’s long-term ceiling, but in a playoff race, he might be the safer choice.

Looking further down the road, George Lombard Jr. is one of the organization’s most intriguing infield prospects. He tore through High-A earlier this summer with a .329/.495/.488 line, but in Double-A Somerset he’s looked more like a work-in-progress, hitting .208 with a .669 OPS. He’s not likely a factor in 2026, but his trajectory keeps the pressure on Volpe to prove he’s the shortstop of the future.

Right now, the numbers say otherwise. Two days on the bench didn’t reset him. September is coming, and the Yankees can’t afford to carry a black hole in the lineup much longer.