As things stand, don’t expect to see third-year shortstop Anthony Volpe starting the New York Yankees’ eventual playoff opener. 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.
Obviously, Volpe won’t be on the Yankees’ playoff roster if he’s significantly hurt. However, what should the Yankees do if Volpe can play? Unfortunately, he’s one of multiple players we believe the Yankees must exclude from their Wild Card Round team.
For the unfamiliar, MLB’s postseason roster rules are simple. Each team has a 26-man roster, just as they do in the regular season, but the roster can only be changed following injuries or after each round. For example, the Yankees could keep Ryan Yarbrough off the Wild Card Round roster but promote him for the ALDS. However, they can only add Yarbrough during the Wild Card Round if another pitcher gets hurt.
Additionally, players suspended for PEDs in a given season are ineligible for that year’s playoffs. This does not apply to the Yankees, but it’s nonetheless worth noting.
Now, as for the playoff-eligible players whom we believe the Yankees must keep off their roster:
Anthony Volpe, SS
Anthony Volpe with his league-leading 17th errorpic.twitter.com/k4BMTKpIEG
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 23, 2025
The key question here is whether Boone wants to carry an injured, error-prone Volpe on the bench. It’s not like Boone can slot Volpe in as a DH, though we’d strongly urge against such a move considering Volpe’s .661 OPS. Volpe’s lack of positional flexibility also hurts his case to warrant a spot on the playoff roster.
Say what you want about Volpe, and Yankees fans have no shortage of opinions, but it’s objectively sad how far he’s fallen. Volpe grew up a Yankees fan in New Jersey, went from a mainstay in the lineup to an embattled 24-year-old with a potentially uncertain future in New York.
Who should Boone use instead? This might be an unpopular opinion, given the 38-year-old Paul Goldschmidt’s hitting struggles, but we’d much rather have the five-time Silver Slugger as a pinch-hit option rather than Volpe. Goldschmidt is hitting .361 with a 1.061 OPS against lefties, and he offers the Yankees the ability to move Ben Rice from first to catcher if needed.
Devin Williams, RP
This one came down to Camilo Doval vs. Williams, and it was tougher than you’d think. Doval has been dreadful in 17 games with the Yankees, allowing 14 runs (10 earned) and walking nine over 14 2/3 innings. His 12.3% walk rate is well above his career 11.3%, while his 21.9% strikeout percentage has plummeted from the 26.2% he had in 46 2/3 innings with the Giants.
Numbers don’t always tell the whole story, and watching Doval is painful. However, Williams’ issues go all the way back to March, and he’s lost his closer role numerous times. Handing the ball to Williams in the postseason is a disaster waiting to happen, and he shouldn’t be anywhere near the playoff roster.
Who should Boone use instead? Doval, albeit not as a late-inning reliever, if Boone can avoid it. Williams has spent the last six months demonstrating that the Yankees cannot trust him, and that must extend to the postseason.
Mark Leiter Jr., RP
Kerry Carpenter caps off the 8 runs without recording an out with a 2 run triple to left center,
— will: Riley Greene Truther (@wrhiv_72) September 10, 2025
called by Michael Kay, Paul O’Neill and David Cone for YES:#RepDetroit pic.twitter.com/5S9nZPdeLn
Leiter is nearing the point where the Yankees shouldn’t even have him on their regular-season roster, let alone the one they’ll use in October. The 34-year-old has a 7.59 ERA, three walks, and two homers in 10 2/3 innings since missing a month with a stress fracture in his left leg. And yes, this means we’d rather have Doval over Devin Williams or Leiter. That alone should say it all, and we won’t be surprised to see the Yankees part ways with Leiter — who still has a year of team control remaining — this offseason.
Who should Boone use instead? We mentioned Ryan Yarbrough earlier, and it’s vital that the Yankees include him on their postseason roster in some role. We’d rather have a journeyman lefty available out of the bullpen rather than a righty with a 5.13 ERA in 66 2/3 innings since joining the Yankees.