The New York Yankees can’t hide from the reality: Anthony Volpe has become a liability, and his inconsistencies are becoming impossible to overlook.
At just 24 years old, Volpe should still be trending upward, but his production is spiraling in the wrong direction.
Offensive regression is alarming
This season, Volpe is hitting .209/.276/.403 with 18 homers, 65 RBIs, and an 87 wRC+, making him 13% below league average.
Those numbers represent his worst campaign yet, and the Yankees desperately need stability at one of baseball’s most demanding positions.
Volpe’s August has been brutal, posting a .176 batting average and a .575 OPS, easily his worst stretch of the season.
His discipline at the plate has completely evaporated, swinging at pitches outside the zone and struggling to work deep counts.
When Volpe does connect, the power comes in short bursts, followed by long stretches of little to no offensive impact.
The Yankees can’t afford a starting shortstop who goes weeks without generating consistent production at the plate.
Defensive decline raises more concerns
Volpe’s defense was once his saving grace, but those numbers are sliding as quickly as his offensive performance.
Last season, he recorded six defensive runs saved and 14 outs above average, showing legitimate Gold Glove upside.
This year, those metrics flipped dramatically, as he sits at just three defensive runs saved with -7 outs above average.
Going from a defensive standout to a negative contributor in one season highlights the volatility that now defines his game.
For a Yankees team built on pitching and defense, shaky shortstop play creates cracks in the entire infield foundation.
The long-term question at shortstop
The Yankees invested heavily in Volpe as their future, but patience is starting to wear thin with his up-and-down performance.
At some point, the organization will need to determine whether Volpe is truly a long-term starter or simply a utility option.
Shortstop is one of baseball’s most demanding defensive positions, and weak performance on both sides of the ball is unsustainable.
Volpe has flashes of brilliance, but they’re not frequent enough to outweigh the long, frustrating stretches of mediocrity.
If he can’t find a baseline of consistency, the Yankees will have to reassess his role sooner rather than later.
A crossroads moment
Volpe still has talent, but he’s quickly approaching a crossroads in his young career with the Yankees.
The team is chasing a division crown and can’t afford wasted at-bats or defensive lapses from its starting shortstop.
For now, the Yankees are holding out hope that Volpe can stabilize, but every passing week makes that harder to believe.
- Yankees getting major bullpen reinforcements with best splitter in baseball
- Yankees’ infielder went from Gold Glove to no glove in record time
- The Yankees are completely ignoring one of their strategic trade pickups
Like a flickering light bulb, he shows sparks of brightness but rarely stays steady long enough to fully illuminate his potential.
If that pattern continues, the Yankees may be forced to admit he’s not the everyday shortstop they envisioned.