New York Yankees fans have been less than pleased that Aaron Boone has kept Anthony Volpe in the lineup regularly despite his struggles both offensively and defensively. Volpe has started all but two of the 109 games he's appeared in, and he's appeared in all but one game the Yankees have played. The way he's played doesn't justify Boone sticking with him for as long as he has, but even now, while his defense continues to be a major issue, Volpe's bat has been too good for Boone to bench him.
Volpe had one of the best games of his career on Friday, going 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, and two stolen bases. He's now hitting .280 with seven home runs a 1.035 OPS in 14 games since the All-Star break, swinging the bat as well as anybody, particularly in the power department.
Anthony Volpe’s seven home runs since the All Star break are tied with Kyle Schwarber for the most in MLB pic.twitter.com/uRnBIpMh0a
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 2, 2025
We've seen Volpe go on power surges before, but not quite like this. Doing Kyle Schwarber things, even for a two-week stretch, is impressive. Volpe is doing the exact opposite of what Alex Rodriguez recommended he do, and that's worked like a charm. As long as he continues to hit, what he does defensively can be overlooked.
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Anthony Volpe will continue to play as long as he hits, and deservingly so
With his hot streak in mind, Volpe is now slashing .223/.291/.427 on the year with 17 home runs and 60 RBI. He's even chipped in 14 stolen bases. Those numbers might not jump off the page, but they're good for a 98 WRC+, just two points below league average. He's having as good of an offensive season as he ever has.
His defense in these two weeks has been abysmal, but he's still been worth 0.8 fWAR despite that, during the hot streak, ranking him second, only behind Willy Adames, among all qualified shortstops. A subpar defender is worth playing when he's hitting at an MVP-caliber level as Volpe has since the break.
Will this continue? Almost certainly not. Nothing about his career track record suggests Volpe will maintain any sort of offensive hot streak. However, as long as that persists, Volpe should be pencilled into the lineup every day. If and when he slows down at the plate, if his glove is still subpar, Aaron Boone can and should consider making changes. Brian Cashman's trade deadline gave Boone the flexibility Boone previously lacked at the shortstop position.
Yankees finally have the ability to bench Anthony Volpe if he struggles again
Much of the Yankees' trade deadline focus has been on the bullpen overhaul and the arrival of Ryan McMahon, and deservingly so, but the Yankees fortified their bench as well. Not only can Amed Rosario play shortstop in a pinch if he has to, but Jose Caballero is more than capable from a backup shortstop perspective.
He didn't look great in right field in his Yankees debut, as evidenced by his costly error in Friday's game, but Caballero, while he leaves a lot to be desired offensively, at least provides consistently solid defense at shortstop. Caballero has been worth three outs above average at shortstop this season and eight OAA at the position in his three-year career per Baseball Savant. As for Volpe, while his glove was elite in 2023 and 2024, he's been worth -6 OAA this season and has committed a league-leading 16 errors.
Because Volpe's glove has taken such a massive step back this season, when he isn't hitting, he's a negative-value player. He's hitting now, so he should be in the lineup, but when he isn't, the Yankees can, and presumably will, use a guy like Caballero, who can provide more defensive stability at the position. The Yankees didn't have an MLB-caliber backup shortstop on their roster all year prior to the deadline. Caballero, and even Rosario, can play that role if needed.