On Sunday night, the New York Yankees, thanks to a powerful and emotional performance from second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., stopped the bleeding, taking a 7-2 win over their sworn rival Boston Red Sox to prevent what would have been a catastrophic four-game sweep at Yankee Stadium. But it looks like a huge adjustment from manager Aaron Boone helped as well — with Anthony Volpe receiving a demotion out of the starting lineup.
Volpe has been very polarizing in 2025; he's been an error-machine at shortstop, and it looks like he's going through some throwing yips. But he's also come up huge for the Yankees at the plate at times — hitting clutch home runs to rescue the team from jams. However, Boone appears to have had enough, as he started utility man Jose Caballero at short in the series finale.
Volpe went hitless in the three games he played for the Yankees in their recently-concluded series against the Red Sox. That 0-11 was enough to earn him a demotion, but it doesn't seem like he'll be sticking on the bench for the long haul. As per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Volpe said that he'll be back to assume his regular post at short on Tuesday in Game 2 of their upcoming series against the Washington Nationals.
Only 24 years of age, Volpe's decline in production is very concerning. It's not like he's making up for his lack of on-base skills with stellar defense, as he's second in MLB in total errors on the year with 17, just behind Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz.
Perhaps a break is exactly what Volpe needs to get it together in every facet of the game. On the season, Volpe is slashing a meager .208/.274/.400, with his power production being the primary saving grace amid his considerable struggles with the bat.
Yankees look to bounce back at home vs. Nationals
That four-game series was nearly a total disaster for the Yankees. They nearly lost all four at Yankee Stadium, and to their archnemesis no less. But at the very least, they won on Sunday to build some momentum for their upcoming three-game series against the Nationals at home.
This will be the only games the Yankees will be having against the Nationals this season. This should at least provide some breather of sorts for the Yankees, as Washington is coming off two straight defeats, both to NL East leader Philadelphia Phillies.
