The Yankees have been steadfast in their conviction when it comes to Anthony Volpe, so it was surprising to see Aaron Boone pinch-hit for the shortstop to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday.
“The competitor in you wants to go out there, wants to help the team and feel like you can, but those things are out of my control,” Volpe said after Boone turned to Trent Grisham at the end of a 6-5 loss to the Mets. “What is is just putting in the work and earning those at-bats.”
Boone noted that he had some lefty-swinging “thunder” on his bench with the right-handed Reed Garrett pitching. However, he also acknowledged that Volpe has had a hard time “getting it going” at the plate over the last few weeks.
“He’s going through it a little bit right now,” the manager said with Volpe falling to a .222 average and a .695 OPS after going 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the Subway Series opener.
Volpe agreed with that assessment.
“Grinding for sure,” he said, blaming his offensive woes on poor timing at the plate. “Trying to get pitches to hit and drive them and just feel comfortable and see the ball. But obviously just working every day to feel good.”
During his postgame scrum, Volpe said he feels good physically. But when the Daily News asked if a Walker Buehler hit-by-pitch to his left elbow on June 6 had any lasting impact, the 24-year-old didn’t want to say anything that could be interpreted as an excuse.
“I feel good enough to be playing well,” Volpe said. “I wish I could say it’s something.”
He later added, “I obviously wish I was fine, but it’s all good.”
Volpe has worn an elbow guard in every game since that hit-by-pitch, which kept him out of the starting lineup on June 7. Asked if the protective armor was having an impact on his swing, Volpe politely dismissed the question.
“It’s all good,” he repeated.
Boone said the guard and the hit-by-pitch were not hurting Volpe’s performance, but his quality of contact metrics have declined since he returned to the lineup on June 8. Prior to Friday, he was hitting .182 with a .539 OPS since then.
Overall, Volpe entered Friday ranked seventh in RBI (46); eighth in BB% (9.7); 14th in slugging (.399); 15th in home runs (9); 18th in K% (24.2); 20th in xwOBA (.310), fWAR (1.2) and on-base percentage (.303); and 23rd in average (.224) among 25 qualified shortstops.
His 97 wRC+ also ranked 18th. One-hundred is considered league average.
Healthy or not, drastic swings in offensive productivity have been a staple of Volpe’s 2.5-year career. At this point, his wildly inconsistent performance at the plate – and changing approaches – are to be expected.
What’s new this year is that, statistically speaking, Volpe has been a negative on the bases and in the field.
He entered Friday with a -0.6 BsR, FanGraphs’ all-encompassing baserunning metric, but the defensive woes have been more noticeable for a player who has made glovework his calling card.
Volpe’s 11 errors led the American League entering play on Friday. His most recent came in Monday’s loss to Toronto, though he made two ill-advised throws in the sixth inning that day.
It’s not just the errors, though. According to several public defensive metrics, Volpe has taken a step backward in the field.
He had -2 Outs Above Average, a drastic turnaround from the 14 he had as a Gold Glove finalist in 2024. He won the award as a rookie with one OAA in 2023.
Volpe also had three Defensive Runs Saved but a Fielding Run Value of -1.
While Volpe is still making great plays on a routine basis and the Yankees have bigger problems in their infield, those metrics are not good enough for a player whose biggest impact comes on defense. That Volpe has made a habit of botching plays in high-leverage situations has only compounded the issue, along with his lacking bat.
Of those 25 shortstops, he ranked seventh in DRS, 16th in FRV and 17th in OAA, per FanGraphs. Volpe also ranked 18th in Statcast’s Range metric.
That was before Volpe couldn’t stop a 108.3-mph, third-inning, RBI single off Pete Alonso’s bat on Friday. He fell to his knees in an attempt to make the play as the ball hit off his glove and bounced into left field.
It was a difficult play, but with Volpe’s defense under scrutiny lately, Boone was asked if the infielder needed to knock the ball down after the Yankees lost by a run.
“It’s a rocket that’s an in between hop that he’s trying to make a play on,” Boone said. “So yeah, can he make that play? Of course. Is it a special play if he makes it? Yes.
“We got a special defender out there.”
It was easy to infer that the question frustrated Boone, a staunch supporter of Volpe’s over the years. However, he left no room for doubt as he stepped away from the microphone inside Citi Field’s press conference room.
“He’s f—g elite,” Boone said before exiting, referring to a defender who has shown signs of regression.
