CLEVELAND — There is a story Yankees fans have been telling themselves for months. The story explains away the worst season of Anthony Volpe‘s young career. The story says his torn left labrum, the one that required offseason surgery, quietly ruined his 2025.
It is a story that excuses the 19 errors. It is a story that frames the .212 batting average as a shoulder problem. It is a story that lets fans hold onto hope for the former first-round pick who has now been demoted, recalled, and benched in his fourth season as a Yankee.
Aaron Boone just challenged that story. And his answer might not be what Yankees Nation wants to hear.
The narrative most fans had accepted
By the time the Yankees lost the 2025 American League Division Series to the Blue Jays, the conversation around Volpe had hardened. He had committed an MLB-leading 19 errors. His throws sailed. His on-base percentage never crossed .300. His batting average sat at .212. He needed mental breaks during the season to clear his head.
Then came October. The Yankees confirmed Volpe had a torn labrum. He had surgery. The connection felt obvious. The shoulder limited his throwing. The pain affected his swing. The injury explained the collapse.
That has been the working assumption in Yankees coverage ever since. It is the story Volpe’s defenders have leaned on. It is the reason for cautious optimism about his 2026 return.
Boone pushes back against the shoulder excuse
Speaking with reporters ahead of the Yankees’ series opener against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, Boone was pressed on exactly that. A reporter asked him directly whether the rough defensive stretch in 2025 was the result of the shoulder injury that required surgery. His answer was unambiguous.
“I think he had a rough three or four weeks on defense last year,” Boone said. “If you look at August and September, he was very much in line with who he was when he won a Gold Glove … and with what we are seeing right now out there.”
That answer cut against the prevailing story. Boone was not connecting the rough stretch to the torn labrum. He was framing it as a slump. Three or four weeks in June and July. A handful of routine plays that turned into errors during a tough stretch for the team. Nothing more.
Boone went further. He argued that the fans and media had focused on the bad stretch and ignored the rebound.
“What people refuse to acknowledge is that he came through that and played really well on the defensive side in August and September again,” Boone said. “In line with the guy that won a Gold Glove.”
That contradicts the common Yankees fan wisdom that 2025 was a year ruined by a hidden injury. According to the manager who watched every game, the defense was bad for a stretch, then it was fine. The shoulder is not the explanation Boone is reaching for.
The Yankees manager also pushed back against the impatience around Volpe’s development. He said baseball growth does not always happen quickly, especially in New York, where young players can be judged too harshly if they do not progress at the pace fans expect.
Boone’s strongest defense centered on Volpe’s character. He said he believes in Volpe as a person, in his will and in his ability while talking to Joel Sharman.
What Volpe has done so far in 2026
Volpe came into Monday’s game in a 3-for-22 stretch over his previous seven appearances. He started six of those seven games at shortstop. He walked ahead of Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s eighth-inning home run on Sunday but produced little else with the bat.
Boone responded by giving him Monday off against Cleveland’s nasty right-hander Gavin Williams. Jose Caballero, who had filled in for an injured Aaron Judge in right field, slid back to his natural position at shortstop. Caballero played 40 of the Yankees’ first 41 games at the spot before Volpe’s return from a demotion shifted him into a utility role.
Yet on the defensive side, Boone’s argument has visible support. Volpe has played 16 consecutive errorless games since a misplay in his MLB season debut. He has made what Boone described as a half-dozen outstanding plays during that stretch.
“Anthony’s defense [has been] excellent: I feel like he’s made half a dozen or so really outstanding plays,” the Yankees manager said. “A couple games, I thought he didn’t have great at-bats. I thought [Sunday] the at-bats were there. Hopefully add some results.”
The bat is the bigger question. And the polarization around Volpe has intensified at Yankee Stadium. Some fans have booed him. Others have stayed loyal. Boone, speaking on a separate podcast appearance, addressed why he has held his ground.
“I see talent,” Boone said. “I see a tough kid that works his butt off that’s not afraid of that noise. He hasn’t found his way to the level he expects yet that we expect him to get to, but he’s also still a very young player that has had a lot of real success as a young shortstop for the New York Yankees.”
The Caballero piece reshapes the picture
Boone’s tone on the dual-shortstop situation has shifted. The Yankees had been suggesting Caballero would shift around the diamond when Judge returned, with Volpe locked into shortstop. That has not played out. Caballero is back at his natural position. Volpe got a rest day. Boone said both players deserve to play.
“They both, in a lot of ways, deserve to be playing there,” Boone said of his two shortstops. “We’ll continue to try and just do what’s best for the team.”
Talk of Volpe taking grounders at second base has all but stopped. Caballero’s versatility allows the Yankees to flex him around without forcing Volpe out of position. When Spencer Jones or Jasson Dominguez covers right field for the injured Judge, the infield can stay set.
The Yankees are 36-30 and sit second in the AL East as of Tuesday night. Boone has made it clear his loyalty to Volpe is rooted in long-term belief, not short-term excuses. The shoulder narrative is convenient. Boone is not buying it. Yankees fans will have to decide whether they trust the manager’s read or the story they have been telling themselves all winter.
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