Not even chicken parm can save Anthony Volpe after latest Yankees dud

The New York Yankees had themselves a party on Wednesday afternoon, banging out 13 hits including a whopping six homers to polish off a sweep of the Washington Nationals. For a team that's made just about everything, even including its wins, feel brutally difficult of late, it was a welcome respite, a chance to exhale for a moment and build some confidence for the stretch run.

Well, it was for everyone but Anthony Volpe. While his teammates were swinging for the fences, Volpe remained mired in what might be the single worst slump of his up-and-down career: The shortstop went 0-for-5 on the day with a pair of strikeouts, the only Yankee who failed to reach base on Wednesday. That drops him to 2-for-35 over his last 11 games, numbers that are usually reserved for pitchers.

Volpe showed a bit of life immediately following the All-Star break, finally tapping into his not-insignificant raw power. But as has been so often the case in his time with the Yankees, it didn't last. He looks straight-up lost at the plate right now, late on fastballs while flailing at breaking stuff moving down and out of the zone. He doesn't seem to know what exactly his approach should be as a hitter, or how he plans to attack. Combine that with the mystifying erosion of his skills at shortstop, and it's not an exaggeration to say that he's one of the very worst regulars in baseball right now.

Which, for a team that's desperate to finally get over the hump while Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are still hitting like this, has become pretty much unacceptable. The Yankees are still deeply invested in Volpe; anyone who listens to an Aaron Boone press conference can tell you that. And considering that they invested a first-round pick in him, and considering the combination of power, speed and defense that he's flashed at times previously (most notably in last year's playoffs), you can't blame them.

But that Volpe doesn't appear to be coming back any time soon. It make take a whole offseason for him to rebuild his confidence, recover from whatever physical ailments have obviously hampered his defense at short and come back fresh. New York doesn't have the luxury of waiting that long — they need to put their best nine on the field on a regular basis, and that means having a very uncomfortable conversation.

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Yankees need to make shortstop an open competition as Anthony Volpe's struggles continue

Jose Caballero isn't an exceptional player by any means. He isn't much as a hitter, especially against righties, and while his defensive versatility is awfully valuable, he's a little bit stretched playing shortstop given his 5-foot-10 frame.

And yet, anyone who's watched a Yankees game over the last couple of weeks will tell you that he's an obvious upgrade over Volpe right now even though his bat is likely to come back down to Earth sooner rather than later. (No, he won't keep slugging .500 like he's done in New York so far.)

Sure, he's not a great shortstop, but he's athletic enough to hang there, and he makes the routine plays — a foundational skill that Volpe has struggled with of late. And besides, with Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr. flanking him, Caballero won't have to do quite as much for New York's infield defense to remain solidly above-average. And while he's a below-average hitter, his on-base skills give him a relatively high floor, as does the fact that he wreaks complete and utter havoc every time he touches first.

The Yankees lineup has enough big boppers and impact players. They just need their shortstop to take care of the little things and add value on the margins. Caballero is doing that far more consistently right now, and considering how all-in the Yankees are every year of Judge's prime (and with Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham set to hit free agency), it's time for Brian Cashman and Co. to make the move.