The New York Yankees appear to want Anthony Volpe to succeed. However, the Yankees aren’t putting all their eggs in the Volpe basket as last year’s trade for veteran José Caballero showed.
Caballero is a versatile infielder and can hold down the shortstop role as Volpe works his way back from his shoulder injury. Volpe will miss the early part of the 2026 MLB season. However, entering his fourth full season in the majors, the clock is ticking on whether Volpe can be the starting shortstop for the Yankees.
Since 2023, Volpe has posted a .222 batting average, 382 hits, 52 home runs, 192 RBIs, and 217 runs scored, while winning one Gold Glove award. During a Feb. 2 appearance on WFAN, Aaron Boone was blunt about Volpe when receiving a question about whether the 24-year-old will be on a short leash this season.
“Now with José Caballero in the mix, we have somebody that’s like, ‘Man, this guy’s a really good big league player,’” Boone said. “I think [Caballero] showed that with us. He’s shown that the last couple of years with Tampa and Seattle, can really legit defend at a lot different places, including shortstop. He started to push himself into the mix a little bit last year.
“I still think Anthony is going to be a frontline shortstop in this league. Everyone’s path isn’t linear. We always wanted to be here. That can be tough, especially in New York, when you’re finding your way. I think he’s going to turn into that player, and I wanted to be here. But bringing guys in like Caballero, I think that’s good for competition.”
Aaron Boone Excited That Yankees Are Running It Back
The Yankees are hoping that having several key players back from injury and making shrewd offseason moves, such as trading for Ryan Weathers and re-signing Cody Bellinger, will get them back to the World Series after losing last season in the American League Division Series to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Boone also answered whether running back with most of the key pieces intact was a smart plan from the front office.
“I’m personally excited that we have the players we do going back at it because I think there’s a hunger there because we didn’t finish the job,” Boone said. “I think we’re really good. I think the moves that we made at the deadline, which were in part designed year and beyond, finished off our team in a way that I feel like our core is our core, but then there’s some of those complementary pieces that we need.”
Aaron Boone Believes Strongly In His Group
Moreover, Boone noted that his group, when healthy, is better than any he’s had as Yankees manager.
“The end of last season was arguably the hardest one I’ve had because I felt so strongly about our group,” Boone added. “I was telling people that privately and publicly, we were healthy. I felt like the moves we made at the deadline finished off our team.
“We were in a really good position, maybe more so than any other season that I’ve been manager. We’ve had a couple of great teams, but maybe we’ve been broke at the end of the year or beat up. Last year, it was happening. That’s what made it difficult at the end.”
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