Insider Predicts Yankees Anthony Volpe Situation

One of the ongoing debates around the New York Yankees will be centered around their plans at shortstop. Anthony Volpe had one of his worst seasons both with his bat and his glove, and while Jose Caballero outshone him when he did get his chance, his career track record isn't that of an everyday player in the league.

“Swing the fuc*ing bat!”

This fan wasn’t pleased with Anthony Volpe
pic.twitter.com/5snhI84VoC
— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) October 9, 2025

Yankees Keeping Volpe?

According to Bryan Hoch, who covers the Yankees for MLB, he believes that it still comes down to Volpe or Caballero at short in 2026. This comes after a fan on social media asked if the organization has any plans for the position other than Volpe.

"Internally, no," Hoch responded to the fan on X. "It'd be Volpe or Caballero at the moment. Maybe someday in the future it's George Lombard, Jr., but that's not 2026."

Another fan asked Hoch about free agent Bo Bichette Jr. He didn't think he would be an option at shortstop either, based on what members of the Toronto Blue Jays organization think of his defense.

"Talking to people here in Toronto, I don't know if Bichette's future is at shortstop," Hoch said on X. "The bat plays, the defense might necessitate a switch soon."

Other Options?

The options in free agency for the Yankees leave a lot to be desired outside of Bichette. Trevor Story may enter the market this winter after a strong year. He has an opt-out clause in his contract, and so far, nobody is sure whether he will exercise it as he heads into the winter.

If Story does become available, it does feel doubtful that the Yankees would pay him. They have not been inclined to pay shortstops with a track record of consistent elite play, let alone one who finally had one decent year for the first time since the pandemic.

Trevor Story now has 5 extra-base hits and 10 RBI in his last 8 games against the Yankees 😳 pic.twitter.com/o3IpYPZRx2
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2025

Ha Seong-Kim is another option. He had his worst year in the big leagues for a medley of reasons, and his bat was well below where it had been his whole year. His defense wasn't any better either. Kim, who had a career 15 outs above average at the position, sported a -3 OAA this year between the Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays.

Kim's poor play could have been a result of a lack of playing time and a nagging shoulder injury that put him on the IL. Before then, he was a solid bottom-of-the-order bat and a viable replacement for Fernando Tatis Jr. when he was moved to the outfield.

Reading the tea leaves, it may not even be worth looking elsewhere at shortstop. Volpe is in his pre-arbitration years, and judging by the way the organization spoke about him towards the end of the season, they believe his down year, which was somehow worse than his previous two seasons, was more due to injury than an inability to handle the big leagues.

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