Yankees' Boone Says Anthony Volpe Having 'Rough Run,' is 'Very Capable' amid Struggles
When the New York Yankees announced their starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals, one name jumped out.
Shortstop Anthony Volpe was back in the starting lineup and hitting eighth after José Caballero started in each of the last two contests. Volpe has struggled during a 1-for-28 slump, but manager Aaron Boone praised his consistency.
"Wired right for it, handles it," Boone said, per Larry Fleisher of the Associated Press. "Whether he's going through a good stretch or a struggle, he's always the same guy and such an important part of our team. So hopefully (he will) start to turn the corner a little bit here offensively and get hot again for us. It has been a rough run offensively for him."
New York lost three in a row to the rival Boston Red Sox before it salvaged a game in the series Sunday with Caballero in the starting lineup. Volpe entered the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning.
Caballero remained in the lineup Monday, and the Yankees defeated the Nationals in the first of a three-game set.
Volpe isn't just struggling at the plate. He leads the American League with 17 errors, one of which he made during Saturday's 12-1 loss to the Red Sox.
Still, Boone believes he can turn things around moving forward.
"He's very capable," the manager said. "I think the biggest thing for him here in the first few seasons of the career is the ups and downs, the peaks and valleys offensively. So it's just continuing to work really hard at being more consistent."
A few more peaks down the stretch of the 2025 campaign is exactly what the Yankees need.
After all, they are 5.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East and a half-game behind the Red Sox in the race for the AL's top wild-card spot. They are also a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners and 4.5 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals in the race for the three wild-card spots.
If Volpe plays well down the stretch, he can at least help New York reach the playoffs even if the division is an uphill climb at this point.
