Anthony Volpe The Yankees shortstop, who spent much of the 2025 season playing with a partially torn left labrum, had the issue surgically resolved yesterday, Joel Sherman and Greg Joyce of the New York Post reported. The exact timeline for Volpe’s recovery is unclear, but if all goes well, sources told Sherman/Joyce Volpe will be ready for the start of the 2026 season.
Volpe’s non-throwing shoulder injury occurred in early May, when Volpe said he heard “pop music“His shoulder was injured after diving to catch a grounder. What seemed like a minor issue at the time ended up being the source of lingering discomfort throughout the season, and Volpe received two cortisone injections (one at the All-Star Game and one in September) to try to control the pain. The Yankees never placed Volpe on the injured list, but he did not play a week after his second injection in September.
It’s impossible to think this injury didn’t have an impact on Volpe’s difficult season. He hit .212/.272/.391 with 19 homers in 596 games, finishing with an 83 wRC+. While those numbers aren’t far off from what Volpe will be when healthy in 2023-24, it’s worth noting that April (before the shoulder issue) is far and away Volpe’s best offensive month in 2025. The bigger impact may come from defense, as Volpe dropped to above-average numbers – 7 shutouts and +2 earned runs – middling metrics for a shortstop who was a Gold Glove winner in 2023 and is a finalist for the award again in 2024.
Volpe’s struggles have made him a specific target of criticism from Bronx fans and, to some extent, the embodiment of fan dissatisfaction with general manager Brian Cashman and head coach Aaron Boone. However, there is currently no indication that Volpe’s starting job may be in jeopardy. Jose Caballero He brought a huge spark to the lineup after being acquired at the trade deadline and got good time at shortstop while Volpe was out in September.
We’ll learn more about Volpe’s rehab process in the coming weeks, but if he encounters any setbacks, the Yankees may be encouraged to pursue depth options at least at shortstop this winter if Caballero isn’t entrusted with the starting job. There will certainly be more speculation about whether the Yankees could bring in a marquee shortstop in a larger shakeup at the position, but the Yankees aren’t inclined to give up on Volpe entirely due to Volpe’s former top prospect status and the fact that the team only has three years of control over his services. Volpe is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and is expected to earn $3.9MM in 2026.
