After shoulder surgery, Volpe unlikely to be ready for Opening Day

In the wake of the Yankees’ playoff elimination, Anthony Volpe said there would be “a lot of work to be done” in the offseason ahead. That now includes recovery from left shoulder surgery.

The Yankees shortstop underwent a procedure Tuesday to repair a partially torn labrum, and manager Aaron Boone on Thursday said Volpe likely won't be ready for the start of the season.

Boone said Volpe will begin hitting in about four months, which would be mid-February, and that he might not be able to dive on his shoulder for six months.

The Yankees will have a better idea of Volpe's return timetable at the three-to-four month mark. General manager Brian Cashman said he expects Volpe will be ready sometime in April, or May at the latest.

Volpe’s shoulder was an ongoing issue throughout the season, beginning on May 3, when the 24-year-old said he felt a “pop” following a diving defensive play against the Rays at Yankee Stadium.

He received two cortisone injections during the season to treat the issue -- one during the All-Star break and one in September -- and missed five games from Sept. 10-14 after re-aggravating the injury on Sept. 7.

During that stretch, José Caballero saw an increase in playing time at shortstop, before Volpe returned to finish the season. At Fenway Park on Sept. 12, Cashman was asked whether surgery might eventually be required.

"As of right now, no, but I wouldn't rule it out either," Cashman said. "They'll just repeat imaging [after the season] and see where he's at. As of right now, there's no surgery recommended. There's not even an IL [stint] recommended."

Ultimately, surgery was needed, and Cashman said Thursday that the initial cleanup procedure revealed the damage to Volpe's shoulder was more severe than initial MRI results had indicated.

That doesn't change Volpe's recovery timeline. One comparable case is that of the Rangers’ Josh Jung, who underwent labrum surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in February 2022. Then a top prospect, Jung was playing in Minor League rehab games by July and made his Major League debut in early September.

Cashman said that, "in fairness to the player," he now thinks the injury might explain some of Volpe's struggles during the 2025 season.

"I personally think now, I'm starting to lean more into that, yes, it was affecting him," Cashman said. "He didn't have the season that we expected, that he expected, that we believe he's capable of. ... His performance swings were significant this year, more so [than his first two seasons]."

During the season, the thought was that the injury wasn't significantly hampering his game, based on the feedback from Volpe and team doctors, and good results from the tests Volpe was undergoing. The one exception to that was Volpe trying to avoid diving on it after re-aggravating it late in the season.

Even now, Boone said he's not second-guessing the decision to let Volpe play out the year.

"Even going into this winter, surgery wasn't a certainty. It was, 'Do we do this surgery?'" Boone said. "I think for the overwhelming majority of the year, it was not affecting his play."

Volpe completed his third big league season in 2025, totaling 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases, but he batted just .212 with a .663 OPS. He had a .786 OPS before May 3 and a .628 OPS over the rest of the season. A Gold Glove Award winner in '23, Volpe committed 19 errors in '25, which tied for third most in the Majors.

Volpe did have a strong American League Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, batting .364 and belting a home run off Garrett Crochet in Game 1. But he heard boos during the Yankees' AL Division Series loss to the Blue Jays, going 1-for-15 with 11 strikeouts.

"I had a really good relationship with the training staff, and they trusted me. I trusted them," Volpe said after the ALDS. "We grinded the whole way. I could've done a lot better."

Both Boone and Cashman said that as New York enters the offseason, they still see Volpe as the Yankees' starting shortstop once he returns.

"Yeah. He's right in the mix to do that," Boone said.

"Somebody will be playing shortstop -- not him -- Opening Day. But that's not a good thing for us, either," Cashman said. "Missing him, not having him here as an option for us, is a problem. I'm looking forward to getting a fixed Anthony Volpe back so he can be deployed and help us win games."

But both Boone and Cashman acknowledged they're hoping to see a leap from Volpe in 2026, especially as a hitter.

"For him to become that frontline shortstop, that's got to improve," Boone said. "He understands that, we understand that. And hopefully, he has that opportunity to continue to do that.

"We see in this game all the time, it's just not this linear trajectory ... The reality is, he's a really talented player that works his butt off, that has tremendous makeup, tremendous toughness, and is a great person in our room, and I'm gonna bet on that. That said, it hasn't happened, offensively-speaking, to the level it needs to yet. But that doesn't mean it won't get there. Dansby Swanson has become one of the game's [star shortstops] -- very similar start to his career offensively. It doesn't always just happen right away. So we'll continue to work alongside him and hopefully get him to that point. We'll see how the roster takes shape, though, this winter, and see where we go."

"I believe in the player still. We believe in the player." Cashman said. "That doesn't mean that we don't play with, on any level, all aspects of roster assessments. He's 24 years old. I don't think the New York stage is too big for him. It's just, he's still finding his way."