BOSTON – With Aaron Judge DH’ing and Anthony Volpe out of Friday’s lineup for the Yankees’ series-opener against the Red Sox, Brian Cashman said that he currently doesn’t expect either player will need offseason surgery.
Of course, things can always change, and Cashman made sure to add, “I wouldn’t rule it out” with specific regards to Volpe. The shortstop has been playing with a partially torn labrum since early May, and he received a cortisone shot on Wednesday.
“They’ll just repeat imaging at the end of the year and see where he’s at,” Cashman continued, “but as of right now, there’s no surgery recommended. There’s not even an IL recommendation.”
With Volpe still recovering from his latest shot, Boone said that he doesn’t expect the struggling infielder to start this weekend in Boston, though he hopes to have him available in some capacity. Cortisone shots typically require 48-72 hours before a return to action.
With that in mind, Boone also said “we’ll see” when asked if José Caballero is his everyday shortstop for the foreseeable future. Boone added that the position is fluid once Volpe is ready to go, but he thinks there is value in having the speedy and versatile Caballero come off the bench.
Boone still believes Volpe can make an impact this season, too. Meanwhile, Cashman answered in the affirmative when asked if he still considers Volpe his shortstop beyond this season.
“Yeah, I think he’s a good player. Obviously, this year notwithstanding, he’s got a lot of abilities that are positive,” the general manager said. “He’s had a tough stretch, but yeah, he’s someone that we can count on and we believe in. But acknowledging 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. I think he’s a really talented guy, and I think he has a chance to be a positive impact on us.
“I think he’s still really capable of being a quality, above average, regular shortstop in the game, but it’s a hard game at the same time.”
Cashman added that Volpe has “clearly” been “bothered” by his injury and that it has “watered down” his stagnant offense and regressed defense. Boone and Volpe previously declined to blame the injury for poor performance.
“It’s a gray area,” Cashman said before adding that Volpe has “had no complaints whatsoever. But at the same time, you look at the numbers, so I’d say it’s not black and white.”
Volpe has a .661 OPS and an 81 wRC+ this season. He has a .454 OPS over his last 32 games and a .621 OPS since May 3, the day he dove for a ball and aggravated his shoulder.
Volpe’s 19 errors were tied for the second-most in the majors entering Friday. His -9 Outs Above Average ranked 22nd among 23 qualified shortstops.
“Yeah,” Cashman said when asked if he’s surprised by Volpe’s defensive downgrade, but he said the Yankees’ internal metrics show him getting to balls that are not reflected by public metrics. “But yes, he’s not defending as well as he’s certainly capable of this year.”
Judge, meanwhile, could play left field on Saturday, as the Yankees are still preaching caution with his arm following a right flexor strain. The player — typically a right fielder — and Boone have discussed the possibility, as left field is shallower at Fenway Park.
Judge hasn’t attempted a few throws home and has eased up on his velocity on a few others since recently returning to the outfield, but Cashman said his expectation is that the MVP candidate will be able to unleash his arm’s full strength more often by the time the playoffs roll around.
“We gave him the time to heal, and then now, obviously, you’re doing the rehab progressions essentially live in games during a pennant race,” Cashman said, adding that he considers Judge a healthy player. “So you’re seeing the effects of that. You’re seeing a guy that’s slowly building his arm strength back and learning to trust it and then walking that tightrope of when to throw the thunderbolt and when to play it safe.
“You have to be smart. You have to be careful.”
