New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe has undergone surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder.
While recovery timelines for such a procedure vary, there’s a good chance that Volpe may no longer be available for opening day in 2026. Dr. Chris Ahmad, the Yankees’ team physician, performed the surgery on Tuesday, though the team has yet to publicly provide any additional information on Volpe’s status since.
According to reports, the 24 year old injured his shoulder in early May, but played through the discomfort throughout the season. In an effort to deal with the pain, he then received two cortisone shots, one in July and another in September, to remain in the lineup. With the Yankees being eliminated from the postseason, Volpe’s camp opted for surgery to hopefully correct the issue for the 2026 MLB campaign.
The former Gold Glove winner committed 19 errors in 2025, which was the third most across the Major Leagues. Additionally, his batting average (.212), OBP (.272), OPS+ (83), WAR (1.7) and total bases (211) also fell compared to his 2024 figures as the infielder navigated the discomfort.
Volpe appeared in 153 games for New York this year, but the Yankees were forced to use Jose Caballero at shortstop at various times over the final two months of the season in an effort to not exasperate Volpe’s condition.
If the former top prospect isn’t ready to go for the start of 2026, New York could look to use Oswaldo Cabrera, or give an extended look at prospect George Lombard Jr. There’s also the possibility that the team explores the free agent market or looks to make a trade to bolster their depth at shortstop as well.
The New York native is arbitration eligible this offseason and is expected to garner somewhere in the $3.9M range. More is expected to be known about Volpe’s recovery timeline at the Yankees press conference on Thursday when GM Brian Cashman speaks to members of the media.
Photo: Jeffrey Hyde. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.