The New York Yankees currently hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League, but their rival, the Boston Red Sox, is right on their tail in what is shaping up to be one of the best races down the stretch of the regular season.
If the Yankees finish with the top WC spot, then all three games in the Wild Card series will be played in Yankee Stadium. This means New York's coaching staff has to make the right decision regarding their roster and lineup management.
Joel Sherman believes Anthony Volpe will be benched for Jose Caballero
It has been a nightmare season for Anthony Volpe. He leads all American League shortstops in errors and is hitting just .207 with an OPS+ of 83.
New York Post writer Joel Sherman believes that Volpe will not be the Yankees' shortstop option in the lineup come playoff time.
In Sherman's story (subscription required), he compares Volpe to former Yankee catcher Gary Sanchez, who was eventually benched by manager Aaron Boone for Kyle Higashioka in the playoffs a few seasons ago.
Caballero doesn't provide much more offense than Anthony Volpe, but his defense is much better, and his OPS+ is above the 100 mark while with the Yankees.
These are the tough decisions that Yankees manager Aaron Boone will have to make in the coming weeks, as the MLB regular season is winding down and October baseball is right around the corner.