It’s been a rough season for Anthony Volpe.
The Yankees shortstop has struggled mightily on both sides of the ball, and it’s led to him losing more and more playing time to trade deadline acquisition Jose Caballero down the stretch in September.
Volpe is on-pace for a new career-high in homers with 19 to this point, but he’s hitting just .206 with a .268 on-base percentage while striking out 140 times over 141 games.
He’s also committed a league-high 19 errors and has accounted for -9 Outs Above Average, despite being just one year removed from taking home his lone career Gold Glove award.
Some of that can be pinned on a shoulder injury he's been playing through for some time now, but with top prospect George Lombard Jr. waiting in the minors, there still have been questions of whether or now Volpe is still the SS of the future for the organization.
GM Brian Cashman was asked that exact question before Friday’s series opener in Boston.
“I think he’s a good player,” Cashman told reporters. “This year not withstanding, I think he’s got a lot of abilities that are positive. I think he’s had a tough stretch, but he’s someone we can count on and believe in.
“At the same time, this isn’t the season that we expected or he expected — but that doesn’t change our viewpoint of what he’s capable of. As you know, I think he’s a really talented guy and I think he has a chance to be a positive impact on us.”
Volpe is out of Friday’s lineup, and Aaron Boone says he isn’t expected to start at any point this weekend as he recovers from a cortisone shot in his injured right shoulder.
This is just the first time in his big-league career that the youngster is sidelined for two consecutive games, but the team expects he could be available off the bench at some point this series.
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