Boone views Volpe as Yankees’ primary SS, despite benching

NEW YORK — Shortstop Anthony Volpe was not in the New York Yankees’ starting lineup Monday against the Washington Nationals for the second straight game as he toils through a frigid offensive stretch — but Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he still views Volpe as the team’s primary shortstop.

“Regularly,” Boone said when asked how often he expects to deploy Volpe for the remainder of the season. “I plan on having him back in there [Tuesday] and probably in there in some way, shape or form tonight and at some point. But just wanted to give him a couple [days] here.”

Monday was just the sixth time the Yankees took the field this season without Volpe as their starting shortstop, but it was the third time in just over a week. Jose Caballero, acquired at the trade deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays, has filled in for Volpe each time. Boone said he expects Caballero, a utility player, to play multiple positions down the stretch.

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Caballero, batting ninth, went 1-for-4 with a single in New York’s 10-5 win over the Nationals.

Boone labeled the two days as a “reset” for Volpe, who entered Sunday’s win over the Boston Red Sox as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning but did not hit. Volpe did not enter Monday night’s game.

“Obviously, having Caballero here now makes those things a little easier when you’re going through it a little bit,” Boone said. “So, yeah, just hopefully a little blow in the grind of the season is something that serves him well down the stretch.”

It has been a turbulent third season for Volpe, a 24-year-old homegrown first-round pick born in New York City and raised nearby in New Jersey as a Yankees fan, and August has been particularly rough. Volpe is 1-for-28 with a walk, a double and 11 strikeouts over his past 29 plate appearances. Since a four-hit showing Aug. 1, he’s batting .121 with 1 home run, 4 walks, 19 strikeouts and a .414 OPS in 71 plate appearances.

Overall, he hasn’t taken the step forward that the Yankees expected entering the season, batting .208 with 18 home runs and a .675 OPS in 509 plate appearances. His 86 wRC+ ranks 144th among qualified major league hitters this season. His 85 wRC+ since making his debut to start the 2023 season is tied for last in the majors among 89 players with at least 1,500 plate appearances over the season.

“Production comes in a lot of different ways,” Boone said. “I think sometimes people want him because he’s a shortstop with speed, like he’s got to hit for a certain average and do certain things. There’s productive offensive players [that] come in many shapes and forms. So, he’s got a lot of ability. He’s shown a lot of flashes of that. I think the next thing for Anthony, though, is the consistency part. And limiting some of the peaks and valleys.”

Perhaps most alarming has been Volpe’s defensive regression in 2025. A Gold Glove Award winner as a rookie and a finalist last season, Volpe’s minus-7 outs above average this season ranks 21st among 24 qualified shortstops. Last season, he finished tied for fifth in the majors with 14 OAA.

The home fans have regularly booed him because of his ongoing struggles, but Boone maintains the treatment has not affected Volpe.

“I think he handles it quite well,” Boone said. “I don’t think he’s overly affected by those things. This is just a young player that, as you guys know, works his tail off and is super competitive and is trying to find that next level of consistency in his game offensively.

“I think he’s mentally very tough and totally wired to handle all of the things that go with being a big leaguer in this city and being a young big leaguer that’s got a lot of expectations on him.”