Yankees Two Biggest Names Defend Anthony Volpe

Anthony Volpe is having an astonishingly bad season with the New York Yankees. Now slashing .000/.000/.000 over his last seven games (for those playing along at home, that's bad), Volpe continues to struggle while the front office sticks with the "business as usual" company line.

Aaron Judge, the Yankees' captain, and Giancarlo Stanton, the team's current conquering hero, weighed in on Volpe's difficulties with characteristic compassion ahead of their final game with the Washington Nationals.

“We’re all humans,’’ Judge said, h/t Dan Martin of the New York Post. “It’s about how you use it. Are you gonna use it to crumble and in a negative way or just tell yourself you’ve got to play better? You have to use it as motivation.”

Judge Isn't Alone

Stanton emphasized the mental game.

“The most frustrating part of when I’ve gone through tough times is the mental part,’’ Stanton said. “You think about it from when you wake up to when you go to sleep. And that gets detrimental, too. You have to simplify everything."

Volpe went 0-for-5 in the Yankees 11-2 victory to sweep the Nationals, making him the only player who did not get on base during the game.

This problem is not new; Volpe has been floundering for months, and fans have gently, but repeatedly, encouraged the front office to reconsider their position that he will be the starting shortstop for the long haul. It isn't a necessary stance, as they have a clear alternate in trade deadline acquisition Jose Caballero, but Aaron Boone is adamant. The kid stays in the picture.

Aug 13, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) takes a lead during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Volpe is batting .204 this season, and I'm sorry you had to see that. Over his last 15 games, he is batting .080. He has 18 home runs, though, which is slightly more than he has fielding errors (17), and his continued face on our screens speaks to the Yankees' apparent home-run-or-bust offensive strategy.

There is a degree of cruelty at this point. Trotting Volpe out night after night and watching him suffer from the mental toll of being so widely criticized is a decision the Yankees are actively making over and over again. The two games off was a nice start, but a stint in the minors would likely do him good, if only to take a break from this dark cloud of constant negative attention. A shot at redemption is one thing, but if the major league pressure was going to sharpen him, surely it would have by now.

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