New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe has struggled mightily defensively this season.
Volpe leads the American League in errors with 18 through 132 games. As an everyday player, his inconsistent glove has drawn the ire of Yankees fans as the team looks to lock down a playoff spot in the closing stretch of the regular season.
When asked if he has considered sending Volpe down to the minors to get right defensively, Yankees manager Aaron Boone scoffed at the idea.
“First of all, he’s a more productive offensive player than he gets credit for,” Boone told The Athletic. “We just hammer the struggles because on some level, there were people that anointed him and expected so much. Even though he hasn’t come close to realizing what we expect and what he expects offensively—and acknowledging a few weeks this year where he struggled even defensively—he’s still a frontline defensive player at a premium position that is offensively somewhat productive. Now obviously, he’s had a 10-day stretch here where he’s gone from over a .700 OPS four months into the year to below. We want to send that guy down? What planet does that guy get sent down that’s a shortstop? I don’t know what planet?”
Maybe this planet.
Leading the American League in errors and hitting a meager .207 is justifiable cause for concern for a team trying to make it back to the World Series. But Boone is right – the Yankees have invested a lot in Volpe’s development, so seeing it through is the best long-term option for the team.
Whether or not it costs the Yankees down the stretch remains to be seen.