Some issues linger quietly beneath the surface before they finally demand attention. For the Yankees, shortstop has become exactly that kind of problem. It’s no longer a debate about patience or upside or development. It’s a reality check. Anthony Volpe hasn’t taken the step forward the organization hoped for, and at this point, the risk of continuing down the same path is almost impossible to justify.
That doesn’t make Volpe a lost cause. It just means the Yankees are out of time to pretend the position is fine.
Volpe’s offensive regression is too glaring to ignore
Three years into his big league career, Volpe should be trending toward reliability, not drifting further from it. Instead, his 2025 season felt like a step backward. Across 153 games, he hit .212/.272/.391 with 19 home runs, 72 RBIs and an 83 wRC+. That’s not a one-year blip. That’s a continuation of a trend, and the Yankees know it.
There’s a predictable rhythm to his struggles. He’ll get hot, shift his swing to chase power, run into a few balls, then lose his contact point and watch his strikeout rate spike. When he shifts back toward contact, the home run threat evaporates. The approach ping-pongs. The consistency never settles.
At some point, potential has to turn into production. It hasn’t.
The defense no longer covers for the bat
Volpe’s defensive excellence always felt like the life raft keeping his value afloat. But even that took a hit in 2025. A partially torn labrum threw off his mechanics, and the effects showed up everywhere. He finished with two defensive runs saved, -7 outs above average, and 19 errors. Nineteen. For a player billed as glove-first, that’s a massive red flag.
When the defense isn’t elite, the offensive shortcomings become harder to tolerate. That’s how the Yankees ended up giving Jose Caballero more runway than expected after acquiring him at the deadline. It wasn’t a luxury move. It was a necessity.
Where the Yankees go from here
The Yankees can’t enter 2026 banking on a rebound that has yet to materialize. Brian Cashman has given Volpe time, trust, and opportunity. Three years’ worth. The return hasn’t justified a long-term commitment.
That’s why the team has been connected to Brenden Donovan, who brings positional versatility and elite contact skills. It’s why any rumor involving Corey Seager or another star-level shortstop carries real intrigue. This isn’t about replacing Volpe out of impatience. It’s about protecting a roster built to win now.
A contender can’t carry a black hole at a premium position.
A crossroads they can’t afford to mishandle
Volpe can still be part of the team’s future, maybe even an impactful one, but the Yankees have reached the stage where they must treat the shortstop job as open competition at minimum — if not a position to upgrade entirely.
Running this back again without a safety net would be negligence.
For a team with championship expectations, the margin for error is small, and the clock is loud.