At a time when the New York Yankees are striving to close the regular season strongly to enter the postseason with momentum, much of the attention remains focused on Anthony Volpe, as it has been throughout the year.
Now, it’s time to make decisions for the playoffs, where Aaron Boone‘s team aims to return to the World Series, but to do so, they must field their best players.
Anthony Volpe out of the playoff roster?
When considering who might be left off the Yankees’ playoff roster, Jake Elman of FanSided highlights Anthony Volpe as a potential exclusion due to his shoulder injury, which has sidelined him since September 9. This could lead to José Caballero taking over as the team’s shortstop in the postseason.
“As things stand, don’t expect to see third-year shortstop Anthony Volpe starting the New York Yankees’ eventual playoff opener,” Elman wrote. “In fact, don’t be surprised if Volpe isn’t even in uniform when the AL Wild Card Round starts in two weeks.”
“The Yankees benched Volpe for José Caballero earlier this month, partly for Volpe’s prolonged struggles and partly because of a previously unreported labrum injury. Volpe hasn’t played since September 9, and it’s hard to see him reclaiming his starting shortstop job barring an injury to Caballero.”
Last week, it was confirmed that Volpe has been dealing with a partial labrum tear since early May, an injury that could explain his significant decline in performance over recent months.
In his last 100 games, played since May 14, the 24-year-old shortstop has batted just .191/.235/.376, with 13 home runs and a -0.4 fWAR. Adding to the concern is his -9 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 2025, placing him in the second percentile league-wide according to Baseball Savant, a far cry from the level that earned him a Gold Glove.
In contrast, José Caballero has been far more effective, posting 4 OAA as a shortstop between the Rays and Yankees, along with a solid .828 OPS and 1.1 bWAR in just 31 games with New York.
Although the Yankees still value Volpe‘s speed on the bases and remain hopeful he can regain some of his defensive prowess, his ongoing struggles have opened the door to other options. For Elman, the most logical choice would be to include Paul Goldschmidt on the playoff roster, a move that, while controversial, would provide more immediate offensive reliability for New York.
Read the full article here
