New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe was removed from the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees played again on Monday (against the Washington Nationals), and again, no Volpe.
Is Yankees manager Aaron Boone just giving Volpe a mental and physical reset, or is Volpe set to remain benched for the foreseeable future, while Jose Caballero — talented in his own right — takes Volpe’s spot?
Volpe has been the victim of endless criticism from Yankees fans this year amid his struggles: .208/ .274/ .400/ .675 entering Monday and leading MLB shortstops in errors (17).
Boone, who’s also been bombarded with complaints this year from the same peanut gallery mentioned above, cleared the air about Volpe on Monday.
Story continues below advertisement
“I plan on having him back in there (Tuesday) and probably in there in some way, shape or form tonight and at some point. But just wanted to give him a couple (days) here,” Boone said, per ESPN’s Jorge Castillo.
Boon also clarified that Caballero will be used as a utility player for the remainder of the year, suggesting that Volpe remains the starting shortstop of the New York Yankees.
Per Castillo, Boone used the word “reset” to describe what Volpe’s days off mean.
Story continues below advertisement
“Obviously, having Caballero here now makes those things a little easier when you’re going through it a little bit,” Boone said, per Castillo. “So, yeah, just hopefully a little blow in the grind of the season is something that serves him well down the stretch.”
Boone also added that he believes Volpe is built to handle the spotlight in the Bronx.
“I think he’s mentally very tough and totally wired to handle all of the things that go with being a big leaguer in this city and being a young big leaguer that’s got a lot of expectations on him,” Boone said, per Castillo.
Story continues below advertisement
Volpe does have 18 home runs in 2025, three shy of his career-high mark from his rookie campaign.
