Andres Chavez
From Opening Day to May 3, New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe had a 115 wRC+ with five home runs and four stolen bases. He had driven in 19 runs.
However, on May 3, he felt a pop in his left shoulder after diving for a ball. He didn’t know it at the time, but that was the start of everything that went wrong in 2025. He suffered a partially torn labrum.
Volpe and the Yankees tried to improve the situation throughout the season. A day off here, a couple of cortisone shots there. It didn’t help much, as he played with discomfort for the entire year and finished with an 83 wRC+ and a career-worst year on defense.
Coming Back From Major Shoulder Surgery
He required offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to miss at least the first month of the season. Still, this week brought some good news for the Yankees’ shortstop, who is entering a pivotal year.
Greg Joyce of the New York Post reported that Volpe is set to begin hitting off the Trajekt this week and facing live pitching next week. He also said the shortstop is staying in Tampa, but is not that far from returning to the Yankees.
“It’s been amazing to feel good. … I feel like I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been,” Volpe told Joyce, as Yankees fans rejoice. The young infielder and former first-round pick has been widely criticized because of his lack of production, but the stats and the circumstances speak for themselves: he was enjoying a nice season, and the injury changed everything. Even general manager Brian Cashman admitted that was the case.
The Trajekt, an AI-powered tool that allows hitters to simulate facing specific pitchers, will be an introductory resource for the real thing: live batting practice next week.
Closing In On A Rehab Assignment
After that, Volpe will likely need a few weeks in the minor leagues on a rehab assignment. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that the second week of April is the targeted start time for Volpe’s rehab stint.
The Yankees will have Jose Caballero start at shortstop while Volpe recovers and gets ready to return, and Ryan McMahon is the emergency option in case something happens to Caballero. Volpe, however, will be right in the mix for playing time when he returns.
Labrum surgeries can be detrimental for the long-term production of a hitter, but there’s no blueprint. Everybody is different, and for all we know, there is a chance Volpe returns to that early-season form he showed in April last year.
Still, there is a chance he takes a bit of time to round into form, and it’s not a guarantee that it happens in 2026. Only time will answer that burning question: which version of Volpe will we see when he returns?
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