The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 in Game 4 of the ALDS, ending the season. Their offense collapsed in the final game, leaving young starter Cam Schlittler out to dry in his second postseason start. One player who caught the ire of fans all year was Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, who was dealing with a shoulder injury for much of the year. He was asked if there was an offseason plan for the injury after the loss.
“I don't know. I anticipated playing another month and then reassessing then. We're gonna figure it out,” Volpe told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
In September, Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that Volpe was dealing with a partially torn labrum for months. He was given a cortisone shot and spent a few days on the bench in September. Jose Caballero played short in his absence. But when October came around, the Bombers went back to Volpe at shortstop.
After a stellar postseason in 2024, Volpe got off to a nice start to this postseason with a homer in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series off of Garrett Crochet. But that ended quickly, with a dreadful performance in the ALDS. He went 1-15 with 11 strikeouts in four games against the Blue Jays. That includes a back-breaking strikeout in the seventh inning of Game 4.
Volpe may get his shoulder repaired and come to spring training with optimism in four months. But there is a large swath of Yankees fans who are done with the experiment of the New Jersey kid at shortstop. He has never posted an on-base percentage over .300 in a full season, while his defense took a significant decline in 2025.
The Yankees head into the offseason with a lot of questions to answer. With only so much time left in Aaron Judge's prime, the shortstop question must be answered now.
