Anthony Volpe has been playing through a partial labrum tear in his left shoulder, manager Aaron Boone revealed Thursday, and received a cortisone shot on Wednesday after reaggravating the injury.
The Yankees shortstop initially underwent imaging in early May after a diving attempt to stop a groundball left him in pain.
“At that time, we MRIed it,” Boone said Thursday. “He had a partial labrum tear that I think they felt like was an old injury, and really it was more just aggravating it and more [dealing with] the swelling of it.
“Once that got out of there, he was good to go. He’s aggravated it maybe a couple of times, Sunday being one of them, and each time it’s kind of just a swelling issue.”
Volpe also received a cortisone shot during the All-Star break in mid-July, the Yankees said Thursday.
After he reaggravated the injury with a dive on Sunday, Volpe underwent another MRI, which revealed “a little bit more of a labrum tear,” Boone said.
Still, the Yankees do not expect Volpe to land on the injured list or to require surgery in the offseason. Volpe is expected to undergo another MRI after the season.
“How he’s responded today from the medicine and cortisone shot is in line with how he did the last time,” Boone said. “So I expect him to be OK in the next couple of days and it not to be an issue so long as he doesn’t aggravate it.”
Thursday’s comments represented the most clarity the Yankees have given on Volpe’s shoulder since that initial dive on May 3. That day, Volpe said he felt “a pop” on his diving attempt during a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It happened quick and it was scary, but after that it felt OK and I felt like I had my strength,” Volpe said at the time. “They tested me and I felt good.”
Boone said before Wednesday’s game that Volpe had to manage his shoulder “early on” but that lately “it’s been in as good a place as it’s been.” Thursday’s game was the second in a row in which Volpe was not in the lineup, but Boone said the third-year shortstop could return this weekend in Boston.
Volpe batted .233 with a .768 OPS through May 3. In 108 games since, Volpe is hitting .197 with a .626 OPS.
However, Boone said he does not believe the injury has had a drastic impact on Volpe’s play.
“I feel like he’s been in a good spot physically,” Boone said Thursday. “I think everybody deals with certain things, so it’s impossible to say, like, ‘This affected something this much,’ or, ‘It didn’t at all.’ How could you possibly know that? But I don’t think it’s been a major factor in his performance.”
