The New York Yankees are in Year 3 of the Anthony Volpe era, and a quick glance at social media shows a fan base willing to start the next chapter.
Don’t plan on seeing Aaron Boone or the Yankees change up their infield anytime soon, though. Volpe remains a mainstay in the Yankees’ lineup despite his prolonged struggles and frustrating defensive miscues. Although Volpe mashed his 14th home run in Wednesday’s 8-4 loss to the rival Blue Jays, he’s still only batting .214 with a .686 OPS.
Irate X/Twitter users and talk radio callers aren’t alone in questioning the Yankees’ decision to ride with Volpe. Noted MLB insider Ken Rosenthal slammed the Yankees on Thursday, openly wondering if Boone is “too publicly forgiving” of his players, especially amid the team’s disappointing summer. The Yankees are only 21-24 since June 1, and they’ve fallen to four games back in the AL East.
“Volpe’s the baseball equivalent of a teacher’s pet, and it’s not just Boone who protects him,” Rosenthal wrote. “It’s the entire organization.”
Ouch, with a capital “O.”
“The Yankees’ logic seems to be that Volpe will be more than adequate if he can get his OPS into the .700 range and again play the defense that won him a Gold Glove in 2023,” Rosenthal added.
You knew this was coming, right? pic.twitter.com/mtvvfTmyCa
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 23, 2025
However, Volpe owns a .686 OPS — the league average is .716, so Volpe has a long way to go — and a league-worst 13 errors.
The Yankees are stuck with Anthony Volpe at shortstop
The Yankees are sticking with Volpe, and they have no one but themselves to blame. As Rosenthal noted, the Yankees made Volpe and third baseman Oswald Peraza off-limits in trade talks for several years. After putting such high expectations on both prospects, the Yankees seemingly never considered adding free agent shortstops Corey Seager or Trea Turner.
Seager inked a 10-year, $325 million contract with the Rangers following the 2021 season, and he’s posted nearly 20 bWAR in that time. Perhaps most importantly, Seager earned World Series MVP when he led Texas to a title in 2023.
Turner joined the Phillies on an 11-year, $300 million contract in December 2022 and has remained one of the league’s top shortstops. Despite turning 32 in June, Turner is on pace for his highest bWAR since leaving the Dodgers in 2022.
As for the Yankees, they committed to Volpe when it became clear that Isiah Kiner-Falefa wouldn’t work as a long-term fit. Although Volpe is only 24, he still hasn’t shown enough to convince Yankees fans that he deserves to be the club’s long-term shortstop — unless you talk to Boone or Cashman, who made their bed and plan to sleep in it, as uncomfortably as the mattress might be.