The New York Yankees had a decision to make with shortstop Anthony Volpe. His rehab assignment ended on Sunday, leaving the Yankees to determine whether or not he would be activated from the injured list and return to New York or be optioned to the minors.
The Yankees have reportedly decided on the latter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Volpe is being optioned to Triple-A instead of joining the major league roster.
A glove-first shortstop, Volpe had not been a threat offensively. He had produced a mediocre .222/.283/.379 batting line in his 1886 plate appearances between 2023 and 2025, hitting 52 homers and 82 doubles while stealing 70 bases. That production would have been sufficient if he had continued playing excellent defense. However, Volpe’s defensive metrics had gotten progressively worse each season, culminating with an AL-leading 19 errors in 2025.
Yankees found internal replacement for Anthony Volpe
Volpe had performed well during his rehab assignment, posting a .275/.333/.350 batting line over 45 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A entering Sunday. He made one error in 31 chances at short in that time and seemed ready to return to the Bronx.
Instead, Volpe may have been Wally Pipp’d out of the lineup. Infielder Jose Caballero has impressed at short, posting a .259/.308/.411 batting line over 120 plate appearances entering Sunday, hitting four home runs and five doubles while stealing 12 bases. Caballero also leads the majors with six runs saved at short, making a significant difference in the middle of the Yankees’ infield.
Anthony Volpe will likely find his way to the majors at some point this year. However, unless an injury occurs, his days as the New York Yankees primary shortstop may be over.