Aaron Boone had to come to Anthony Volpe’s defense following his struggles in the New York Yankees’ 4-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.

Volpe stepped up to bat three times throughout the matchup, failing to land a hit. He even committed a fielding error as he made a mistake on a throw, which proved to be costly as Toronto scored all four of their runs in the fifth inning.

Boone reflected on the team’s loss after the game. He deflected criticism regarding Volpe’s mistakes throughout the season, giving the shortstop high remarks.

“He’s still a top shortstop,” Boone said.

How Aaron Boone’s Yankees played against Blue Jays

It’s important for Aaron Boone to maintain faith in Anthony Volpe, knowing that his talent can help the Yankees compete. However, that wasn’t the case in their loss to the Blue Jays.

New York got on the board first in the fourth inning after Giancarlo Stanton blasted a solo shot to left field. Unfortunately, Toronto scored four in the next frame, landing three hits while having the visitors commit two errors. The Yankees were unable to recover as they couldn’t spark a rally in the final innings.

The Yankees’ bullpen couldn’t hold off the Blue Jays’ offense, especially in the fifth inning. They conceded six hits after 31 at-bats, as Carlos Rodon got the loss after being on the mound for five frames.

New York fell to a 55-45 record on the season, holding the second spot of the AL East Division standings. They are four games behind the Blue Jays for the top seed.

Aaron Boone and the Yankees will look to bounce back in Game 2 of their series against the Blue Jays. The contest will take place on July 22 at 7:07 p.m. ET.