The Yankees and Red Sox sit just 0.5 games apart for the top American League Wild Card spot heading into their three-game series at Fenway Park starting Friday.
**Anthony Volpe’s** situation has become one of the season’s biggest storylines for New York. Reports indicate he’s been playing through a shoulder injury for months, but now he’s riding the bench for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.
Is it the shoulder that’s still bothering him? Or has his struggles at the plate finally caught up with him during this critical stretch?
Yankees manager **Aaron Boone** addressed Volpe’s status ahead of the massive Boston series, offering some insight into the shortstop’s injury and potential return:
“I do. Like hopefully, in the next few days, he gets through this and he’s back in the mix. We saw him really turn it on the postseason, some of his best baseball. Hopefully that’s still ahead of him.”
Let’s put it this way – it’s been a rough sophomore campaign for Volpe. Fans expected him to follow in Derek Jeter’s footsteps, but he’s struggled defensively and hasn’t shown much clutch hitting ability.
The numbers tell the story. Despite 19 home runs in 141 games, Volpe’s hitting just .206 with a .661 OPS. Strikeouts continue to be a problem too.
At some point, reality set in for the Yankees. Every game matters now, and having Volpe in the lineup has hurt their chances in late-inning situations.
Now that **Jose Caballero** is getting opportunities, it’ll be interesting to see if Boone sticks with his timeline for Volpe’s return or rides the hot hand. The way I see it, they can’t afford to wait much longer if the shoulder isn’t the real issue here.
