Yankees, Brian Cashman make Anthony Volpe stance clear

The Yankees’ list of needs before the July 31 trade deadline is growing by the day.

Shortstop will not be one of them.

Anthony Volpe is in the midst of another rough stretch in the third year of his notoriously streaky big league career, but the Yankees have continued to double down on their faith in him, with Brian Cashman offering the latest vote of confidence on Wednesday.

“He’s our shortstop,” Cashman said at Yankee Stadium while holding court after the club designated DJ LeMahieu for assignment. “I don’t forget where he was and what he was doing on the biggest stage of the game last October. Despite the twists and turns of how his season is currently playing out, there’s a lot of season left to be played. 

“I’m not counting him out. I know he’s going to be part of the solution rather than the problem.”

The 24-year-old Volpe, who hit .286 with a .815 OPS in 14 playoff games last year as one of the Yankees’ most consistent bats on the way to the World Series, got off to a solid start this season before falling off of late.

Over his last 22 games before Wednesday, he was batting just .115 (9-for-78) with a .426 OPS and 22 strikeouts. On the year, he was batting .217 with a .686 OPS.

“He certainly can come join the [offensive] party sooner than later, and I believe he will,” Cashman said. “I just have a high belief in him. But peaks and valleys are part of a six-month season. … I do not consider him a problem. I understand that there are struggles there, but I believe he’ll be fine.”

Volpe’s defensive metrics have also taken a step back this season, especially from his Gold Glove season as a rookie in 2023.

When asked about that, Cashman first referenced Volpe being a “grinder” who has played through things — he injured his left shoulder on May 3 and got hit by a pitch on his left elbow on June 6.

“I know he’s one of the better defensive shortstops in the game, but I also know that yeah, there’s times that hasn’t played out this year as much,” Cashman said. “There’s probably a lot of different reasons why. Him playing through things, to be able to post on a daily basis – that’s another thing I admire about the guy is he posts every day.

“I think he’ll be fine. I think we’ll be fine with him.”