Yankees' Aaron Boone reveals concerning Anthony Volpe injury update

Matt Sullivan

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Yankees' Aaron Boone reveals concerning Anthony Volpe injury update image

The New York Yankees are trying to catch the Toronto Blue Jays for the top spot in the AL East, and one of the team's biggest hurdles so far has been the play of Anthony Volpe at shortstop.

He's struggled offensively and defensively as of late, so much so that the Yankees are being urged to bench Volpe in favor of Jose Caballero to take over at shortstop.

But ahead of Thursday night's game against the Detroit Tigers, Aaron Boone revealed that Volpe has been playing through an injury, and it's not a minor one. Brandon Kuty of The Athletic reported on the updated injury to Volpe and the Yankees' plan with the struggling shortstop amid such an injury.

Anthony Volpe is planning to play through a shoulder injury

According to Kuty's report, Boone announced that Volpe aggravated his shoulder injury on a dive during Sunday's game. He also reports that Volpe, aside from the cortisone shot in his left shoulder on Tuesday, is also dealing with a small labrum tear.

However, instead of hitting the injured list and taking some time to reset physically and mentally, Boone states that Volpe is expected to be able to play through the injury.

The 24-year-old Yankees shortstop has played 141 games this season and has a .206 batting average with a .661 OPS on the year. He's also struggled defensively, being one of the worst defenders by Baseball Savant with -9 Outs Above Average (17th worst).

His struggles in the field and at the plate have been one of the main points of frustration for the Yankees fanbase in recent weeks. Volpe leads the American League in errors with 19, and combined with sub-par offense, his struggles are a lot on the Yankees.

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This injury update from Boone is a concerning one for Volpe in multiple ways. Not only is the Volpe injury worse than initially believed, but the Yankees are also planning to have Volpe play through the injury.

It's not ideal, but this injury could've been an opportunity to give Volpe some time off to reset physically and mentally ahead of the postseason. Even if it's just a couple of games where he sits, it'd be beneficial to the Yankees and Volpe for a chance to rest.

For now, the Yankees plan for Volpe to still be part of the lineup, though for Thursday night's game, he's out as Caballero steps in as the team's starting shortstop against the Tigers.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.