The New York Yankees' AL East lead is dwindling by the day, as a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday puts them just two games ahead of their rivals to the north, while the Tampa Bay Rays are just 1.5 games back entering play on Tuesday. This puts the Yankees in a bind, as they balance both the expectations of present day and the prospect of future success. Anthony Volpe, for example, leads the AL in errors and has received some ire from a fanbase with high expectations. Gleyber Torres understands that pressure all too well.
The plays in question came in the sixth inning, as Volpe failed on an attempt to get Myles Straw, then the lead baserunner out at third base. Later in the inning, Ernie Clement legged out an infield single on a ground ball to Volpe.
“There’s some plays that you’re going to be aggressive,” Volpe said, per The Athletic. “I’m going to go for that play every single time. Ball gets knocked down and it’s not an error. I expect to make that play, whether it’s in the book or not.”
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Anthony Volpe has the right approach to play shortstop for the Yankees
Volpe has the right approach to playing shortstop, even if his execution isn't entirely there at times. Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to bat for his player postgame, as he almost always does when given the opportunity.
“I don’t have a problem going to third there because there’s obviously no play in that situation to first, but we just got to be accurate with the ball,” Boone said.
Boone later mentioned that Volpe won the gold glove at shortstop as recently as 2023, and that a few players here or there don't change the fact that he's an excellent defensive player at his position. However, the mistakes are starting to pile up.
Gleyber Torres knows all too well how tough it is to be a star in New York
Volpe is just the latest former top prospect to struggle in the Bronx. It's a fate that former Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres knows well, though he wasn't treated with the same kid gloves Boone and Brian Cashman are ensuring Volpe receives. Torres was eventually blamed for his misfortunes – which he certainly earned while leading the AL in errors just last season. Playing in New York City isn't for everyone. Torres has since moved on to the Detroit Tigers, and is likely to start for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game.
Even after Torres left for greener pastures, Cashman took some unnecessary shots at him, claiming that Gleyber wasn't open to a position switch to third base, something Torres has since proven wouldn't have helped matters. Gleyber doesn't have the range to be a gold glove caliber middle infielder, sure, but he's also not as error-prone as he was in the Yankees system. Both things can be true.
Volpe deserves the patience and trust that Torres did not receive in the Bronx. One can only hope Boone and Cashman learned from their mistakes, as well as Yankees fans. If they truly want Volpe to live up to his potential long term, they have to deal with the growing pains.