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New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe

Has Anthony Volpe played his last game for the New York Yankees ? 

After months of Volpe’s offensive flailings and defensive failings , Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed on Thursday that the embattled shortstop has been dealing with a partial labrum tear in his left shoulder. Volpe, who sat out Wednesday’s game after receiving a cortisone shot in the shoulder, was kept on the bench for the second straight game on Thursday. 

While the extent of Volpe’s injury is unknown, Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media opined in a Friday column that this latest development “casts doubt about [Volpe’s] future in the Bronx.” 

“The Yankees did him no favors in 2025,” Klapisch wrote. “Nor did they have the guts to tell fans the truth about Volpe’s health or his true ceiling. 

“Whether the Yankees give him another chance in 2026 or trade him over the winter, the lessons shouldn’t be forgotten.” 

Anthony Volpe’s Shoulder Injury Could Explain His Sharp Drop in Performance

The injury reportedly occurred during the May 3 game against the Tampa Bay Rays, when Volpe felt a “pop” in the shoulder while diving for a batted ball . Volpe was given a cortisone shot soon after to target inflammation, and since then, he has frequently been seen after games with ice bags on the shoulder. The team admitted that Volpe has also been undergoing continuous treatment, including a second cortisone shot over the All-Star break. 

The timing of the injury coincides with the considerable downfall in offensive performance this season for Volpe, whose numbers began to make a steady decline in the immediate aftermath. The shoulder ailment could also help explain the precipitous drop in defense for the 2023 Gold Glove winner, who has committed the second-most errors in the major leagues.  

Jose Caballero , acquired on July 31 in a trade with Tampa for outfielder Everson Pereira and future considerations, started for Volpe over the past two days, which was the first time in his three seasons that Volpe did not play for two consecutive games . As of early afternoon on Friday, no reports indicated if Volpe would miss a third straight game, with the Yankees scheduled to face Boston in the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park. 

For his part, Volpe told reporters that he’s taking a day-to-day approach but is “excited to see how it responds ” to the latest treatment. 

“I feel like I’m in a good spot with it,” he said . 

But can the Yankees feel like they’re in a good spot as the playoffs approach?  

Keeping Anthony Volpe in the Lineup May Harm Yankees Playoff Hopes

It’s interesting to note that in the first 14 games after the All-Star break, when Volpe had received another cortisone shot, he got 14 hits in 50 at-bats (.280) with seven home runs, but he is just 16-for-110 (.145) with two homers in the 32 games since then. Beginning tonight, New York has 16 regular season games remaining, so if the effects of this latest shot follow a similar timeframe, the Yankees would be entering postseason play with a significantly limited shortstop. 

That does not seem like a winning approach, despite Volpe’s valiant willingness to do whatever he can to help the team. 

“It’s all hands on deck for the rest of the season,” he told reporters. “We’ve got the squad to win the World Series, so I just want to be a part of that.”. 

But is that really what’s best for the team, or the player? In an interview with NJ Advance Media, Dr. Spencer Stein, a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health, stressed that, while Volpe may be able to fight through the last few weeks of the season, “it’s definitely important for him to have a rest period,” with surgery a distinct possibility. 

“It may be a complete shutdown for two weeks, then from two-to-six weeks maybe band work, which is rubber band exercises with light resistance training,” Stein said about a non-surgical approach. “And then there’s strengthening the other arm, which can help contralateral limb strengthening. That’s where it starts. And then with building up to a batting program and back to play, it could be three months.” 

With a capable replacement in Caballero, perhaps that “complete shutdown” should begin immediately. And given that Caballero is under team control through 2029, while the Yankees top prospect , shortstop George Lombard Jr. , awaits his opportunity at Double-A Somerset, it isn’t too far-fetched to suggest that Volpe may be finished in pinstripes. 

“For the Yankees: playing a struggling, injured kid every day isn’t a reward, it’s a ticket to burnout,” Klapisch warned. 

Dave Benson is a veteran writer with over three decades of journalism experience covering sports primarily in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent several years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson