New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has stuck by his struggling shortstop, Anthony Volpe, despite his season-long struggles at the plate and extended woes in the field. It doesn't seem like that's about to change.
Boone appeared on the Talkin' Yanks podcast where he reiterated his support for Volpe, even as trade deadline acquisition Jose Caballero makes his case for more playing time.
Chatting with Boone about Volpe pic.twitter.com/huovoOlHNf
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 9, 2025
“I think about it every day. Even considered it for today,” he said of starting Caballero at short.”But I also love the flexibility Caballero gives you off the bench too.”
Volpe is hitting .207 through 140 games with an 83 OPS+. In three full seasons in the Majors, he has never finished with an OPS+ better than 86 (the stat is scaled so that 100 is the league average).
“[I'm] still hoping that Anthony’s best is still in front of him,” Boone continued. “It’s obviously been a tough stretch. Started to get some traction going but yeah we want to get him going offensively.”
He added that he's not worried about the boos Volpe has endured from the home crowd beginning to seep into his psyche.
“I do feel like he’s equipped to handle it,” he said. “[I] trust he can get through this too.”
The Yankees will give Jose Caballero plenty of looks
Caballero has been productive since coming to the Yankees. The American League stolen base leader has swiped nine bags over his 26 games in New York and is hitting .233 with a .765 OPS. He has also played five positions in that time, spanning the infield and outfield.
“He’s gotten some starts and he’ll probably get a start this series, and maybe even next series,” Boone said. The Yankees begin a series with the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday in New York.
Asked if it was worth giving Caballero a string of starts at short so he could “see it” before the postseason, Boone said he didn't have to.
“I’m confident that Caballero can handle any situation so I don’t need to see it,” he said. “He’s a good player. I have confidence in him. If I need to do something like that, I don’t need to try it out.”
The Yankees, winners of seven of their last 10 games, begin their three-game set with the Tigers two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East.
