Slumping Yankees Starter Playing Through Partial Labrum Tear

The New York Yankees revealed some injury news before beginning a pivotal series against the Boston Red Sox.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Thursday that Anthony Volpe has been playing through a partial labrum tear in his shoulder. The starting shortstop suffered the injury when attempting to make a diving play on May 3.

Boone told reporters, via SNY Yankees Videos, that Volpe received a cortisone shot on Wednesday after reaggravating the injury on Sunday. However, he doesn’t anticipate the 24-year-old going on the injured list.

“He already feels better today,” Boone said of Volpe. “I don’t expect it to be an issue. That being said, if he goes out there and aggravates it again, we may have to look at it more.”

The Yankees held Volpe out of Thursday’s lineup for the second straight game. He still leads the team with 141 games played, with Thursday marking the fifth time he’ll sit all season.

While the injury hasn’t sidelined Volpe, he hasn’t played through it effectively. The right-handed hitter is batting .168 since the start of June and is 4-for-28 with 14 strikeouts in his last eight games.

Volpe’s 2025 slash line is down to an alarming .205/.268/.393, and the 2023 Gold Glove winner has also backtracked defensively. The former prized prospect has committed 19 errors with minus-9 outs above average, a steep decline from last year’s plus-13.

Boone still wouldn’t blame Volpe’s disappointing season on the injury.

“I feel like he’s been in a good spot physically,” Boone said. “I think everybody deals with certain things … I don’t think it’s been a major factor in his performance.”

Volpe might return in time for New York’s three-game series at Boston that starts on Friday.