On Thursday afternoon, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reported that New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe has been playing through injury, specifically a partially torn labrum. Volpe has been playing through the injury since making a diving effort against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 3. Hoch also confirmed that the 24-year-old received a cortisone shot over the All-Star break.
Anthony Volpe Has Been Playing Through a Labrum Injury
Season-Long Miscues
In hindsight, it’s obvious that Volpe has not been playing at his best. Though his offensive stats have been relatively similar to those from his first two seasons, his defensive stats have gotten drastically worse. Despite accumulating 14 outs above average (OAA) over his rookie and sophomore seasons, Volpe has been worth -9 OAA in 2025, also ranking second in all of MLB in errors (19) behind Elly De La Cruz (23).
Anthony Volpe has been playing through a partial labrum tear, Aaron Boone said today. When the injury was initially MRI’ed in May, the Yankees believed it was an old injury he could play through. He has reaggravated it a few times this year, most recently this past weekend.
— Bryan Hoch
(@BryanHoch) September 11, 2025
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time in recent memory that the Yankees have forced one of their players to play through an injury, when in reality they probably should’ve let them recover properly. In May of 2023, the newly retired Anthony Rizzo collided with Fernando Tatis Jr. at first base, leaving him out with a concussion for months. Despite passing MLB’s concussion protocol, Rizzo never looked the same after that injury and was subsequently out of baseball following last season.
Will He Keep Playing?
Though Volpe has not been in the lineup since Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers, New York has made it clear that they want Volpe to continue playing. The Yankees have been reluctant to bench Volpe even as he has gone through tremendous struggles at the plate and in the field; this trend has only continued after manager Aaron Boone stated that the young shortstop will continue to play through the injury.
Anthony Volpe’s most recent MRI showed “a little bit more of a labrum tear,” according to Aaron Boone, “but nothing that we think is going to land him on the IL, or nothing that he can’t continue to play through.”
— Bryan Hoch
Now, is this a good idea, especially heading into the final stretch of the season when the Yankees will be fighting to hold onto a spot in the postseason? Probably not. But, again, this wouldn’t be the first time that the Yankees have elected to aggravate a (young) player’s nagging injury instead of letting them get back to 100%.
Main Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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