Anthony Volpe simply cannot do any right in the minds of New York Yankees fans.
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe is now officially playing in rehab games as he inches closer and closer to a return from offseason shoulder surgery, and needless to say, Yankees fans aren't exactly thrilled.
Volpe became the Bronx's punching bag last season, as he played through most of the year with a torn labrum in his shoulder and ended up slashing .212/.272/.391 with 19 home runs and 72 RBI while playing atypically pedestrian defense.
Clearly, the injury was affecting him throughout the campaign, but that didn't matter to Yankees fans, who piled on Volpe all season long.
The New York faithful bemoaned the Yankees selecting Volpe over Gunnar Henderson in the 2019 MLB Draft, a perfect example of hindsight being 20/20. Don't pretend you knew Henderson would be the superior player seven years ago. You didn't.
Now, even Volpe's quotes as he proceeds through his rehab aren't good enough for the fanbase. Fans didn't like his update while speaking to Meredith Marakovits of YES Network last month. And now, his latest comment once again has Yankees fans rolling their eyes ... for some reason.
"I'm so excited to just play," Volpe said. "I'm probably the most excited I've ever been, just having that perspective. It doesn't matter. I'll play anywhere. I'll do anything. So it's going to be great."
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images.So he's thrilled to be back on the field and will do anything to get back on the diamond for the Yankees. And somehow, that's bad?
Let's be honest: fans are taking issue with Volpe's remarks because he's Volpe. Imagine if Aaron Judge said this? Fans would be hanging on his every word. But, it was Volpe, so the torches and pitchforks come out.
I've said this many times: for whatever reason, Austin Wells — he of the .275 OBP last year and he who is hitting .191 thus far in 2026 — has largely escaped criticism. But Volpe is a lightning rod for it. Oh, and did I mention that Wells has a lifetime .468 OPS in the postseason, nearly 300 points below Volpe's?
It was clear to anyone watching with an objective eye that Volpe was compromised last season. Yes, I understand his career .662 OPS is subpar, but let's remember that the 24-year-old was actually hitting the ball very well in 2025 before suffering his shoulder injury in May.
How about we just give Volpe the chance to prove himself this season before we continue verbally assaulting the man for no apparent reason?
Now, if Volpe bombs once again in 2026, then we can absolutely have a serious discussion about replacing him next year, but for now, let's allow the kid to breathe.
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