Recently, it was reported that New York Yankees starting shortstop Anthony Volpe underwent a procedure on a labrum injury. 

Volpe is expected to miss the beginning of the 2026 campaign for the Yankees, something the organization will have to figure out. They could look at Jose Caballero as the starting shortstop, but it remains uncertain what the Yankees want to do on that front with Caballero.

Nonetheless, Volpe’s injury is a bit more complex than just him undergoing surgery. According to The Athletic, some have questioned whether Volpe’s injury had an impact on some of his play this year. While I have my thoughts on that, Chris Kirshner put it best regarding how they felt. 

“The Yankees could not agree whether Volpe’s shoulder injury impacted his performance. Boone said he didn’t think Volpe’s shoulder bothered him much, while general manager Brian Cashman believed the shoulder was a reason for the shortstop’s underperformance...

“Schulz said there’s no way of knowing with 100 percent certainty if Volpe’s shoulder was bothering him from May onward, but a telltale sign of the severity of the injury is that he opted for surgery instead of continuing to play through it. Because Volpe’s injured shoulder was his lead one when batting, Schulz said it could have affected the way he approached hitting, even on a subconscious level. A player could opt to change his swing or approach if he is experiencing pain or is concerned that what he is doing will lead to pain, Schulz said,” he wrote.

For one, it's undeniable that a labrum injury is one of the worst in the sport. While it’s different for Volpe, because he's not a pitcher, it’s still a tough injury. 

It’s the injury that no baseball player wants to deal with, as it's much worse than Tommy John surgery. 

While it was on his non-throwing arm, it's also important to note that it likely had an impact on his swing. They attempted it to get by with cortisone shots, which can help, but if something was truly wrong with the labrum, which it clearly was, considering he had surgery, a cortisone shot isn't going to do much. 

The reality is that Volpe was hurt, and no matter how the Yankees want to play it, it had an impact on how we played this year.