New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone gives injury update on shortstop Anthony Volpe during the organization’s end-of-season press conference at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. Volpe dealt with a lingering shoulder injury throughout the season, leading to concern about whether he can return by the start of next season.
Boone said he expects Volpe to miss the start of spring training after the shortstop underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder to repair a torn labrum. The Yankees shortstop cannot dive on his shoulder for at least six months.
“I think we will also have a better idea after the three to four months mark,” Boone added. “Right now it’s four months until he’s hitting again.”
Boone Gives Injury Update
Boone gives his injury update on Volpe after the shortstop popped his shoulder in May and underwent imaging to determine the injury’s severity. Ultimately, undergoing surgery then was deemed unnecessary, but Volpe re-aggravated his shoulder during the summer. Despite the injury, Boone doesn’t think this negatively impacted Volpe’s game.
“I feel like he’s in a good spot physically,” the Yankees manager continued. “Everybody deals with certain things, so it’s impossible to say this affected something this much or not at all. I don’t know how you can know that, but I don’t think it’s been a major factor in his performance.”
Volpe went 5-for-26 from the plate throughout the Yankees’ entire postseason run. He struck out 11 times against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS. New York went on to be eliminated from the playoffs in five games by Toronto. Volpe hit 19 home runs and 72 RBI this season in 539 at-bats with a .212 average and .663 OPS. Boone doesn’t believe Volpe’s poor performances will cause him to lose his starting spot.
Injury Impacts Defense
“For the first time since he’s been here, he went through a stretch of four to six weeks where he struggled on the defensive side of the ball,” Boone said. “It’s really important to note how well he played on defense in the final six to eight weeks of the season. The defense returned to a level that we’ve come to know after going through some rough moments.”
Volpe, a 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove recipient, had a .963 fielding percentage this season on 516 total chances with 19 errors. His proficient defense has always been a big part of his game, translating to back-to-back 94-win seasons for the Yankees.
“He’s a really talented player that works his butt off and has tremendous makeup and toughness,” Boone concluded. “I’m going to bet on that.”
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