Aaron Judge is the Yankee you talk about first and think about first, even when he’s on the sidelines the way he is right now with a flexor strain. He is that big with the Yankees, in all ways. But after him? The Yankee who continues to dominate so much conversation around the team -- and sometimes controversy -- is the kid at shortstop, Anthony Volpe.
By now, even people in outer space know how much Volpe’s fielding has become an issue around the Yankees lately, as recently as their 4-game series this week against the Rays -- when he was throwing the ball around even as the Yankees were winning three out of four. And it’s clear that the Yankees have gotten themselves some insurance at the Trade Deadline, bringing in Amed Rosario, even though short isn’t really his best position, and Jose Caballero from the Rays.
At the same time, though, Volpe has started to hit, something that has mattered with Judge on the sidelines. Through Friday night’s rather insane 13-12 loss to the Marlins in Miami, the 24-year old Jersey guy had managed to hit seven home runs in his last 13 games.
On Friday, Volpe hit his 17th home run, got four hits in all, knocked in two and scored three and made zero errors at shortstop. It is no longer crazy to think that if he keeps swinging the bat the way he is right now, he could get to 30 homers for the season. He already got to 60 RBIs on Friday. Heading into the rest of the weekend, there are only two shortstops in the big leagues who have hit more home runs so far than Volpe:
Francisco Lindor.
Elly De La Cruz.
Lindor, because he plays in the same city as Volpe does, is an interesting frame of reference. He continues to be one of the Mets’ most important players, even around some of the slumps he himself has experienced this season. Lindor was runner-up to Shohei Ohtani in the National League Most Valuable Player voting a year ago. But for now, he has 20 homers and 59 RBIs. So he has three more home runs than Volpe. Volpe has one more RBI.
But at the same time, Volpe leads MLB shortstops with 16 errors; Derek Jeter only made more in four of his 20 seasons. In a race that maybe only Yankees fans are following closely, Volpe’s home runs are back ahead of his errors after he hit No. 17 against the Marlins. His manager, Aaron Boone, said after Friday night’s loss that he thought he was seeing improvement with Volpe’s swing even before balls started clearing the fences for him again.
“Now he’s starting to see some results,” Boone said after Volpe’s 4-for-5 night.
Boone, of course, has been Volpe’s most vocal and consistent defender through his recent fielding slump, including after games when Volpe has looked as tentative as he has making simple throws across the diamond on routine ground balls. Boone has stubbornly done this even with the mounting social media chorus about the errors.
“I think his best days are in front of him, this year and beyond,” Boone said the other day.
But Boone has acknowledged the obvious fielding issues that have plagued his young shortstop, also saying this on Wednesday:
"Clearly, he's gone through some struggles here and in some key moments not made some plays. I think Anthony's super tough, and I think he's wired for this. We think of slumps or struggles more [on offense], it happens with even really good players on that side of the ball."
There is absolutely no one rooting against Volpe, even as so many Yankees fans have lost patience with the guy who plays the position another Jersey guy named Jeter played.
“He’s not just a good kid,” Michael Kay, the Yankees play-by-play announcer on the YES Network told me the other day. “He’s a great kid.”
These days Volpe, literally, is trying to power through his struggles in the field when he’s back at the plate. His batting average is still just .223. His on-base percentage is just .291, but that’s mostly where it’s been across his three years with the team. His slugging percentage is up to .427 in 2025, the best of his career so far. Even an OPS of .718 is a career best.
Despite what the whole world has been seeing in the field -- including times when he really has looked like a golfer jerking a 3-foot putt with his throws -- Boone might turn out to be right. Volpe’s best days might be ahead of him -- this year and beyond. Here is what Volpe himself said about his fielding slump:
“It's honestly frustrating but not discouraging, and I know the standard I have for myself. I'm just going to keep pushing until I prove it to myself."
He keeps pushing. The Yankees keep hoping he will be what they so desperately want him to be, meaning a star. Home runs and errors and even boos this week at Yankee Stadium. Even on a team with Aaron Judge, the kid continues to find himself in the spotlight. Just not always in ways he wants.