For the second straight game, Anthony Volpe was not available to play for the New York Yankees, as a left shoulder injury sidelined him again, this time in the Yankees’ 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Volpe has made his fair share of blunders this year and has drawn the ire of many Yankees fans on multiple occasions, but his power production at shortstop has made him a valuable member of the roster all the same.
While Volpe’s absence isn’t that big of a deal for the Yankees now that they have a capable backup in trade deadline acquisition Jose Caballero, the Yankees would want to have all hands on deck as they look to secure their spot in the playoffs — be it via the Wild Card or by overcoming the Toronto Blue Jays’ three-game lead in the AL East and claiming the division crown themselves.
Alas, it’s not quite clear when Volpe would be available to return, as the Yankees shortstop will be taking a wait-and-see approach to determine whether or not he’d be ready to suit up for the start of their three-game series against their sworn archrival, the Boston Red Sox.
“I think it’s just going to be day-to-day and see how it feels. Tomorrow I’ll be able to move around and go through a lot of movements and treatments and a lot more stuff, I think. I’m excited to see how it responds,” Volpe told reporters, per SNY’s Yankees Videos on X (formerly Twitter).
“I think it’s just going to be day-to-day and see how it feels. Tomorrow I’ll be able to move around and go through a lot of movements and treatments. I’m excited to see how it responds”
Anthony Volpe on if he’ll be available to play tomorrow: pic.twitter.com/eeJQctpjWx
https://twitter.com/snyyankees/status/1966338607876071926
With Caballero doing well to hold down the fort while Volpe is recovering (Caballero went 2-3 from the plate on Thursday with one walk and one RBI), the Yankees aren’t about to rush their starting shortstop back to the field. But with a crucial series against the Red Sox on the horizon, Volpe might end up doing whatever he could just so he could get the green light to suit back up on the field.
Anthony Volpe, Yankees jockey for playoff positioning
At present, the Yankees are 4.5 games above the cutoff line for the postseason with 16 games remaining in the season. Nothing is set in stone quite yet, which is both good and bad for them; on the one hand, they can still realistically overtake the Blue Jays for the division lead.
But one stretch of poor play could end up being the difference between playing for a World Series title come October or watching the playoffs unfold from their homes.
