The New York Yankees might not be perfect, but they are playing quality baseball at the moment and appear to have turned a corner in recent games. A few days ago, we were discussing how mediocre this team had been for months, but they do appear improved and have won seven of their last 10 (it could have been eight out of ten if it wasn’t for Saturday’s intentional ball fiasco).
Their bullpen is starting to click, the starters are mostly putting the team in a position to win, and the lineup has gotten back several pieces that were either struggling or injured. Shortstop, however, remains a problem for the Yankees and there might not be a quick solution in sight.
The Yankees haven’t seen any growth from Volpe
Shortstop defense is excellent because Anthony Volpe is a fantastic, Gold Glove-caliber fielder. The offense, however, is a serious issue, and it has been almost non-existent for months.
Since June 1, as Yankees insider Chris Kirschner recently pointed out, Volpe has been among the worst regulars in the league. The Yankees are finally getting offense from catcher (Austin Wells and Jose Trevino), second base (Gleyber Torres), third base (Jazz Chisholm Jr.), and upgraded left field with Jasson Domiguez’s call-up. However, shortstop remains a liability because Volpe has hit a highly disappointing .223/.255/.330 with a .584 OPS in 385 trips to the plate.
He has played 91 games since that day and homered only five times. His power and ability to drive the ball with authority have all but disappeared, and his ability to get on base has suffered as a result. The only things sustaining him in the everyday lineup are his pure potential, his fielding ability, and his speed.
The Yankees, however, need more from him if they are going to make a deep playoff run. It’s hard to see him getting benched, mainly because there aren’t too many options there, but it’s frustrating that there hasn’t been any offensive growth compared to last year: his 2023 OPS was .666. This year, he is already down to .664.
