Tag: Anthony Volpe

Anthony Volpe’s Return Brings Exciting Possibilities

The New York Yankees are going to the World Series.

They have made the move that will seal the deal.

Anthony Volpe has returned from Triple A Scranton.

Don’t laugh.

Anthony Volpe will lead the Yankees to the World Series. Credit: Newsday

Can’t you see it? The most maligned Yankee of the last decade is the difference between the Fall Classic and yet another early Fall exit.

After all of the verbal abuse Volpe has endured over the last two seasons, it would be fitting that he plays a big role in securing the Yanks’ second World Series berth in three years. Not too long ago,Volpe won a Gold Glove for his work at shortstop as a rookie while clubbing 21 home runs. It seems nothing has gone right for him since his grand slam during the 2024 World Series. Defensive miscues and dreadful plate appearances contributed to a number of boos at home games and villification on sports talk radio. It appeared that the only folks who continued to believe in him were Brian Cashman, and, if you pay attention to AI videos, his stepfather, Aaron Boone. The organization finally couldn’t endure anymore subpar play and sent him away in favor of George Lombard Jr. who, if you consume enough YES, had the greatest debut in Yankees’ history.

Picture the scene. It is the top of the 9th inning in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. The place: Tropicana Field. Bryan Baker, who is five for five in save opportunities in the playoffs for the Rays, is on to send Tampa to the World Series. The Yanks trail 4-3 and are down to their final out with Vople coming to the plate. However, Lombard, Jr stands at second base with Jasson Dominguez on as a pinch runner at first. Yes, that Jasson Dominguez, another formerly untouchable prospect who also found himself on the outs. Well, he is about to have his own Dave Roberts moment.

Ah, look at the prospects all grown up now.

The count is full. Baker’s sixth pitch is drilled to the left center field gap by Volpe. Lombard, Jr. scores easily and after stumbling, Dominguez, making his first appearance in the series does his best Sid Bream impersonation by chugging around third base and just beating the relay by Taylor Walls. The Yanks take a 5-4 lead.

But wait, there is more.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, David Bednar is trying to hold it down. Junior Caminero is on first base with two outs. Liam Hicks lifts a ball to dead center field. Spencer Jones goes back on the ball, but trips on his shoelaces. As luck would have it, the ball bounces right to him as he stands up. Jones makes a beautiful throw to Volpe who, in turn, fires a strike to Austin Wells who applies the tag to Caminero.

Aaron Boone’s stepson did it! The biggest inning of his life propels New York to its 35th World Series!

The preceding blog was written with a dash of exaggeration. That being said, don’t be surprised if Anthony Volpe has a big hit or two this October.

Anthony Volpe’s Surgery: What Took So Long?

Today came the news that New York Yankees’ shortstop Anthony Volpe had surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. The news does not come as a shock as there were rumors of an issue involving his shoulder for most of the 2025 season. However, the question is, why did it take so long for Volpe to have the surgery?

Both Anthony Volpe and the Yankees messed up his season. Credit: Sports Illustrated

The origin of this goes back to May 3rd in which Volpe heard a pop in his shoulder during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. An MRI and X-rays revealed “good news” and, after sitting out the next contest, he returned to the lineup on May 5. You know what happened after that. Volpe’s production both at bat and in the field suffered dramatically. As the Yanks swooned during the Summer, Volpe became the face of the team’s struggles. He was booed at Yankee Stadium and vilified on sports talk radio. He rallied briefly in September after a second cortisone shot and even homered in the Wild Card round against the Red Sox. But he was miserable in the Blue Jays series, striking out 11 times in 15 at bats. Now we have to wonder, how much of his season struggles do we put on him or on the organization for not sitting him down right after the initial injury?

Perhaps Volpe said in the two weeks or so after the injury that he was fine. Once his struggles continued, the Yankees should have been the ones to make him sit down. Protect the athlete from himself, the saying goes. Instead, Volpe went out there game after game, clearly (we now know) less than 100%. His failings at the plate carried over onto the field where even routine plays became an adventure. I thought that he should have been sent down to the Minors to get a reset. The Mets did that with Francisco Alvarez. However, based on what we know with the severity of the injury, he needed a trip to the Injured List. Instead, the guy suffered every day, probably too prideful to say, “hey, I don’t think I am quite right”. Maybe he was fearful that having surgery during the season would end his season. That’s his fault for not addressing it sooner. But it is also the organization’s fault for not forcing him to take a couple of weeks off.

Sometimes, organizations ruin players. Anthony Volpe having the surgery in June would have saved him the agony of a terrible season. The injury provides a plausible explanation for his struggles. However, do we still think he is capable of being the everyday shortstop? He regressed badly in 2025. Was it the shoulder or was it the player? Thanks to the delay by both player and team, that question is difficult to answer.