Third base is a massive chasm that the New York Yankees need to fill ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline. Eugenio Suárez happens to be the perfect player to fill the organization's largest void. Unfortunately for GM Brian Cashman and his front office staff, adding Suárez can't entirely fix the team's infield.
The other big infield issue for manager Aaron Boone is the uneven play of Anthony Volpe at shortstop. He entered the 2025 campaign as a key part of the franchise's long-term corps. His struggles during the first half of the season now have scores of Yankees fans wondering if he still deserves to be a starter.
It's important to point out that, despite his high-profile struggles, Volpe still grades out as a decent starter at one of baseball's most premium positions. His current WAR of 1.3 is not going to blow anyone away, but it's well above what the Yankees are getting out of their third base options. There's a reason why dealing for Suárez remains the team's top priority heading into the deadline.
The concerns over Volpe's performance are still legitimate. He's only hitting .214 with a paltry OBP of .287. Those weak numbers prevent him from taking advantage of his prodigious speed on the basepaths. The 10 home runs he's slugged on the year do help hold up his overall offensive numbers.
Perhaps Volpe's most curious stat is that he headed into the All Star break with 49 RBIs. That's an elite total for a shortstop. It's difficult to tell whether or not that should be chalked up to luck or some sort of additional focus Volpe pays when he's up with men on base. It's likely some combination of both factors.
Add it all up, and it's clear that the Yankees could benefit from an uptick in performance at shortstop. Members of the organization continue to tout their belief in Volpe at every opportunity. it's a virtual certainty that he'll remain in Boone's everyday lineup for the rest of the season. That might not be a direct result of the front office's confidence in him to rebound from his ugly first half.
Why else might the Yankees be forced to stick with Anthony Volpe?
The ugly truth for Cashman is that finding an upgrade at shortstop on the current trade market would be nearly impossible. ESPN's current list of the top 50 likely players to move at the deadline does not include a single natural shortstop. A few infielders on the list might be able to man the position in a pinch, but none offer the defensive upside that Volpe gives the Yankees.
There will be players outside of that list on the move, but savvy teams understand just how shallow the shortstop market projects to be. It's highly unlikely the Yankees will meet a peer's likely astronomical asking price for a player who is certain to give them more value than Volpe down the stretch.
There's also the small matter of the Yankees' need to add more quality pitching before they feel comfortable about their postseason chances. The bullpen desperately needs at least one more high-leverage arm they can count on in October. Ideally, Cashman could swing deals to add two quality arms to give his bullpen a boost.
Finally, the Yankees would love to respond to Clarke Schmidt's injury by adding a new starter to the mix. That is an uber-competitive market with quite a few teams. If New York is going to outbid the competition for a quality starter, it's going to cost them serious resources. The idea of them giving up the sort of prospect capital required to land a starting pitcher and a shortstop in the coming weeks is far-fetched.
So what is the future for the Yankees at shortstop?
Volpe is still the short-term answer to this question. It's difficult to envision a realistic scenario where he doesn't start Opening Day of 2026 as the Yankees' starting shortstop.
The next realistic threat to his hold on the position is the organization's top prospect, George Lombard Jr. He might be in line for a call-up in September of next season, but that's probably the soonest he'll be ready to soak up at-bats in the Bronx.
Things could change if Volpe's play gets even worse down the stretch, but this likely represents the low point of his career with the Yankees. A modest bounce back during the second half would see him reemerge as an above-average starter. That's what the organization and the player are hoping to see over the next several months.