NEW YORK — Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe was on the field doing some extra work Wednesday, hitting baseballs off a tee placed at home plate hours before first pitch at Yankee Stadium against the Detroit Tigers.
Yankees hitting coach James Rowson stood nearby, evaluating the struggling Volpe’s swings and offering feedback during the rudimentary drill.
A half-hour later, the Yankees announced their starting lineup and, for the second time in a week, Volpe’s name was absent. Jose Caballero started at shortstop instead. It’s a decision Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated he could make more often over the final 17 games of the regular season and into the postseason.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
“We’re in day-to-day mode,” Boone said before New York’s 11-1 loss to Detroit. “We’re playing for a lot right now, and I have a decision to make every day with the lineup. And whatever tough decision I think that is, I’ll make it. And my hope is that he can kind of get it going here to a point where he is that guy. Because I think when we’re at our best, he’s out there impacting us on both sides of the ball and frees up Cabby to play a different role, too. But, that said, I’ll make a decision day by day.”
Yankees brass, led by general manager Brian Cashman and Boone, has steadfastly championed Volpe through his heavily scrutinized struggles this season.
Volpe’s performance last October, when he batted .286 with an .815 OPS in 14 postseason games through the World Series, stoked hope that he had turned the corner entering this season. But the offensive leap the organization projected when it named him its Opening Day shortstop in 2023 to much fanfare hasn’t surfaced as he concludes his third big league campaign hearing steady boos from Yankee Stadium crowds.
Volpe has 19 home runs and 70 RBIs this season, but he’s batting just .206 with a .268 on-base percentage and 140 strikeouts in 141 games. His 81 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) — which attempts to measure a player’s offensive production with adjustments for ballpark effects, league run-scoring environment, etc. — ranks 141st out of 146 qualified hitters this season.
Zoom in and Volpe is batting .171 with a .573 OPS in 63 games since June 25. Zoom out, back to his rookie season in 2023, and his 84 career wRC+ is 94th among 95 hitters with at least 1,500 plate appearances.
“The peaks and valleys have been there, and they’ve been there every year,” Boone said. “So that’s what he’s worked really hard at, we’re working really hard to try and close those gaps a little bit so there is more consistency there on the offensive side of the ball.
“So, yeah, and again, last year, at the biggest moment, he was one of our best performers in the postseason offensively. We know it’s in there. But the consistency hasn’t been there yet.”
A regression in the field has magnified the offensive struggles this season. A Gold Glover as a rookie and a finalist this past season, his -8 Outs Above Average ranks 23rd among 24 qualified shortstops this year. This past season, he finished sixth with 14 OAA.
Caballero is a steady hand at shortstop who leads the majors with 43 steals in 52 attempts. The Yankees acquired the 29-year-old Panamanian from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of their flurry of moves at the trade deadline.
At the time, Cashman insisted Caballero was nothing more than a good backup for Volpe, an option the team had lacked, and a valuable utility player with games at six positions this season. But Volpe’s performance, combined with Caballero posting a more-than-serviceable .765 OPS and good defense in 26 games with the Yankees entering Wednesday, has opened the door for change.
“Just feel like he deserves to play some,” Boone said. “Obviously, it’s been a tough stretch offensively here and it’s just that time of year, all hands on deck and just felt like that was the best move for us today.”
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
