The New York Yankees were hoping by this point in the season to have their MLB Playoff qualification secured, but that’s far from certain, and now they face additional concerns that could worry more than a few within the organization. One of those, undoubtedly, is the performance of Anthony Volpe.
The reality is that despite all the effort Aaron Boone has put into defending his shortstop, Volpe shows no signs of improvement in this final stretch of the regular season, which could lead to some drastic decisions.
Could Aaron Boone make an unexpected decision with the shortstop?
It was Joel Sherman who shared his prediction about the position during his appearance on the Pinstripe Post Podcast with Ryan Sampson, stating that, to Volpe‘s misfortune, Aaron Boone might turn to José Caballero.
“I’m gonna make a prediction: I say José Caballero is their shortstop in the playoffs,” Sherman said during his segment.
José Caballero, who arrived from the Tampa Bay Rays, has played in 26 games, taking 53 at-bats with solid productivity, posting an offensive line of .233/.346/.419. Caballero already has two Outs Above Average (OAA) at shortstop with the Yankees, though in a limited sample.
In contrast, Volpe has a season-long offensive line of .207/.269/.396, paired with -8 OAA, a figure that places him in just the fourth percentile in Major League Baseball according to Baseball Savant. The former top prospect never stood out with the bat in his first two seasons (.661 OPS), but he made up for it with his defense: he was the first rookie in Yankees history to win a Gold Glove in 2023 and accumulated 13 OAA during 2024.
Now, with his defense in decline and his offense stagnant, the Yankees might have no choice but to give Caballero the starting role in the postseason.
That said, Joel Sherman cautioned that more playing time could expose Caballero’s weaknesses, as he has a career .647 OPS over 1,091 MLB plate appearances. Still, the analyst believes Caballero currently represents an upgrade over the current version of Volpe.
“I know if Caballero plays more, we’ll see things we don’t like,”Sherman said. “We’ve already seen him get thrown out of two games you can’t get thrown out of … but, in the short-term, when the ball is hit to him at shortstop, you’re not holding your breath. Is he a great offensive player? He is not, but this version of him is so much better than Volpe.”
It was hard to imagine that Anthony Volpe would lose his spot in the starting lineup, but it seems the time has come for him to step aside and give an opportunity to more effective players.
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