Yankees' GM Sends Clear Message About Possibility of Demoting Struggling Infielder

Brian Cashman got honest about whether a demotion is in Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe's future.

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe hasn't had the 2024 season that many had hoped for him.

Heading into Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians, Volpe is hitting .247 with a .680 OPS, 11 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 124 games played.

While this is an improvement from the .209 batting average and .666 OPS Volpe produced in 2023, fans were expecting a bigger improvement from the 23-year-old in his sophomore season.

Given that Volpe is still young, there has been some speculation about whether a potential return to the minor leagues might be in store for him. But Yankees GM Brian Cashman set the record straight about Volpe's future while speaking with The New York Post's Joel Sherman.

“We haven’t talked about it,” Cashman told Sherman about potentially demoting Volpe. “I feel like, by far, we believe in him and, yes, his development continues at the major league level. There are growing pains, obviously, when you pull the ripcord on somebody’s opportunity early, which he did earn (a starting job in spring 2023), but he’s still finding his way.

"But also he’s by far our best player at that position (shortstop) and you could argue he’s our best player by far in our infield," Cashman continued. "So, no, there’s never been a consideration to sending him down. He’s working through everything in a thoughtful way. He’s working his tail off. And again, our opinion of him and his ability to eventually reach his ceilings are still intact.”

Hitting woes aside, Volpe has remained an above-average baserunner and defender, which has aided the Yankees in that regard. And Cashman believes that Volpe's hitting will eventually catch up to the other facets of his game.

"His ebbs and flows are obviously what they are," Cashman said. "But our belief in the player and that he’s a foundational piece are also there. We think he’s the solution and not part of the current problem. I understand it is fair to ask any and all questions, but I am here to reinforce that our belief in him is steadfast.”

"I would acknowledge and restate that he is our shortstop and we don’t feel we need to send him down to Triple-A to get a reset. We believe strongly that he’s going to be here and stay here and help us win games. I think he’s done that already and I do think there’s more gas in the tank there. But that’s true about a lot of our guys at the same time,” Cashman added of Volpe.

Despite Volpe's struggles at the plate, the Yankees still boast a 73-53 record and are leading the AL East by a half game. But their shortstop coming alive as a hitter could solidify them as a World Series contender.