NEW YORK — Hours before first pitch, angry Yankees fans had already circled the same name. By the fifth inning, the box score agreed with them.
The moment Anthony Volpe’s name appeared in Sunday’s starting lineup, Yankees fans lit up social media, warning that the shortstop was a mistake waiting to happen.
One prediction landed almost word for word. A fan wrote before the game that Volpe was “a strikeout and an E6 waiting to happen,” using the scorekeeping shorthand for a shortstop error.
That is close to exactly what unfolded in a 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium, a defeat that pushed New York’s slide to nine losses in 10 games.
The sequence matters because it turned fan frustration into something harder to argue with. The Yankees keep sending Volpe out at shortstop, the errors keep coming, and Sunday offered fresh evidence for anyone questioning the lineup card before the first pitch.
Alarm rings before first pitch
The unrest started when the Yankees posted their card for the series finale. Volpe was in his usual spot at shortstop and hitting fifth against a right-handed starter, a slot that drew immediate pushback.
Much of the anger centered on his bat. Entering the day, the Yankees shortstop was slugging just .333, a number several fans felt did not belong in the heart of the order.
The lineup itself added fuel. With outfielder Max Schuemann drawing a start and infield help on the bench, fans argued the Yankees had better defensive options than the one they chose.
The criticism reached beyond anonymous accounts. Gary Sheffield Jr. questioned the Yankees manager’s decision publicly on social media.
“WHY IS VOLPE AT SHORTSTOP AND/OR BATTING FIFTH?” Sheffield wrote.
Others zeroed in on the defense specifically. One fan laid out an alternative infield and predicted trouble if the Yankees stuck with their plan.
“How Volpe is in the lineup today against a RHP is mind boggling …. I’ll take Cabby at Short and McMahon at 3B. Volpe is a strikeout and an E6 waiting to happen,” the fan wrote.
The error and a broadcast rebuke
The warning aged fast. In the fifth inning, Volpe made an errant throw from shortstop on a ball hit by Twins rookie Kyler Fedko.
The mistake opened the door for Minnesota. Two earned runs came across against the Yankees bullpen in the aftermath, stretching a game that was already slipping away.
In the broadcast booth, Suzyn Waldman connected the miscue to a much larger pattern. She framed it as the reason fans were booing and questioning the team’s focus.
“You know, this is what everyone is talking about,” the long-time Yankees voice said. “And this is why this team is getting booed right now and people say that they’re not focused. That was that with Volpe’s last error. That was the 20th error in the last 15 games.”
The number behind her point is staggering. Those 20 errors over 15 games have led to 29 unearned runs, the most by the franchise in any 15-game span since 1935.
A Gold Glover under a harsh spotlight
The scrutiny stings partly because of Volpe’s track record with the Yankees. The 25-year-old won an AL Gold Glove earlier in his career, which makes the current run of defensive lapses harder for fans to accept.
There is context behind the slippage. Volpe underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and did not return until May, and his glove work has shown signs of improving even as the errors mount.
The Yankees shortstop’s bat has offered little cover. Through 39 games, Volpe is hitting .246 with one home run, 13 RBIs and seven stolen bases, production that has left him exposed as the losses pile up.
Fan anger also traces back to how the team has handled the position. Boone had suggested Jose Caballero would take over as the everyday Yankees shortstop role once healthy, and Caballero’s defense rated among the best in the majors by Defensive Runs Saved. Yet Volpe kept the Yankees job and Caballero was often shifted around the field to make room for him.
The same pattern drew criticism, when New York optioned rookie Spencer Jones to Triple-A rather than move on from Volpe. Fans read the choice as a show of faith in a struggling incumbent, and Sunday’s error only sharpened that complaint.
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