WELCOME TO THE "DO LESS WITH MORE" YANKEES ERA

 "To see a team that has the ability to score without needing to run the ball out of the yard, it's really refreshing. But also, I do think it can lead to more sustainability. Teams that are dependent on homers are just that — dependent on homers to put up big innings. Yes, we'll always take them, and I'm definitely excited to see us hit some more, but it is really cool that our athleticism has the ability to put us in ball games." -- Drew Rasmussen

Just reading that, it makes me frustrated and the more you read THIS you might be in the same boat. The Rays don't have the same financial resources that the Yankees do and they don't even need them. They are still leading in the AL East because they have proven for years now, they do more with less. 

I mentioned that to someone I work with the other day and I got the "Yeah, but how many championships do the Rays have?" Obviously none, but everything we have is in the past. We just like to reminisce about it because we have been fantasizing about it since 2009 with no results and a terrible manager in Aaron Boone and a washed up GM in Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner who doesn't care about winning like his old man did.

So neither team is basking in championship glory, but the Rays have the competitive edge that the Yankees just don't. That's why we are 4.5 games behind them and chasing them with our old tactics. We are that team that needs to launch the ball out of the yard and relies on the long ball. We obsess over launch angles, exit velocity instead of focusing on fundamental baseball.

The Yankees and their bloated $336 million payroll can flaunt their league leading home run honors all they want but the $108 million Rays are playing better baseball with the most sacrifice bunts, fourth most in stolen bases AND have the fewest strikeouts. The strikeouts is one of my biggest pet peeves with the Yankees. They are all or nothing. We've been running this same playbook over and over again and it isn't running. 

When do we stop and realize maybe we shouldn't be putting all of our eggs in "top prospect" players baskets like Spencer Jones who are incomplete players and just groom good ballplayers like the Rays? It hasn't worked. It really isn't rocket science. The old cliche says "if it ain't broke don't fix it!" and it's time to face the music, the Yankees are beyond broken. They are worse than the IKEA furniture sitting in your living room that you didn't read the instructions when you tried putting it together. Instead, you had a bunch of leftover pieces from the box and suddenly one day your furniture collapsed on you.

That's the Yankees. Filled with a bunch of leftover pieces because the team wasn't properly assembled. Because let's just keep Anthony Volpe up in the majors even the he sucks while we also have a capable Jose Caballero. It's stupid! The Yankees do LESS with MORE resources. The Rays are just the opposite. At some point one of these teams is bound to figure it out. My money goes on the Rays figuring it out first though because the Yankees are just an insanity train. 

I'm tired of being the team that does less with more. I'm tired of writing about it. I am tired of complacency. We have more financial resources than the Rays do....we just don't have the baseball brains to run it and win.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE LIABILITY

Austin Wells has gone from “untouchable future star” to nightly offensive liability so fast it almost feels unfair to blame him anymore. Seriously — at some point the frustration shifts away from the player and lands squarely on the people who convinced everyone this experiment was ready for Broadway before it could survive off-Broadway.

Because this isn’t just a slump. Slumps end. This has been a full-scale offensive disappearance.

Every big Yankees inning seems to die the same way now: runners on, crowd buzzing, Wells walking to the plate, and about 30 seconds later someone jogging back to the dugout after another weak pop-up, rollover grounder, or first-pitch gift to the opposing pitcher. His numbers with runners in scoring position are so bad they almost look like a typo, and the zero hits with the bases loaded somehow feels even worse when you’ve actually watched the at-bats unfold in real time.

The scary part? You can see the confidence evaporating pitch by pitch. He looks overmatched against major league velocity, late on hittable fastballs, uncomfortable in leverage spots, and completely unsure of what kind of hitter he’s supposed to be. Yet Yankees fans were sold this polished, advanced bat that was supposedly “different” from every other rushed prospect before him.

Sound familiar?

This organization has developed a bad habit of falling in love with its own scouting reports and fast-tracking players because someone in the room decided the hype mattered more than reality. Instead of letting Wells fully develop, the Yankees treated him like the next can’t-miss answer behind the plate. Now the fanbase is watching a catcher hit like a backup middle infielder from 1987 while being told to stay patient because he hit one solo homer after a 50-plate-appearance RBI drought.

One homer. Parade the float.

The Yankees clearly know this has become unsustainable, which is why the trade market is already heating up.

Ryan Jeffers made perfect sense before the injury because he annihilates left-handed pitching — something Wells currently treats like an unsolved physics equation. 

Sean Murphy brings actual All-Star upside and power if Atlanta is willing to move him, while Jacob Stallings represent the baseball equivalent of duct tape: not glamorous, but functional.

And honestly, “functional” might be enough at this point.

As for Wells, trading him now would be selling a stock after the company already caught fire. His value has collapsed. The more realistic move is sending him back to Triple-A and hoping everyday reps can rebuild both his mechanics and his confidence before Yankee Stadium completely eats him alive.

Because right now, Austin Wells doesn’t look like a future franchise catcher.

He looks like another case study in the Yankees convincing themselves potential and production are the same thing — and once again, the fans are left paying for it in the middle of May.

YANKEES PICK WRONG AGAIN

When I wrote the other day that Aaron Boone's obsession with Anthony Volpe was alarming, I was already gearing up for this schmuck to keep Volpe up in the majors when Gerrit Cole and Jose Caballero were both ready to come back to the big team. There is something creepy and uncomfortable about the fact that Volpe can hang around the big club house with the big boys considering he just doesn't have the stuff of a major leaguer. Stop forcing this high schooler down our throat.  The Yankee fan base does NOT want this kid on the Yankees.  This isn't me being mean, this is me giving folks a dose of reality.

You’re basically saying the Yankees are operating with two entirely different standards depending on the player — and that’s exactly why fans are aggravated.

With Spencer Jones, the Yankees had no problem saying: “He needs more development.” Fine. That’s baseball. Prospects go back down all the time.

With Yovanny Cruz, despite the bullpen needing live arms, they still decided roster flexibility and organizational planning mattered more than letting a power arm help at the big-league level.

But when it comes to Anthony Volpe, suddenly patience becomes endless, standards become movable, and reality becomes optional.

And this is where the Yanks Go Yard quote you referenced hits hard:

"Yankees insider Joel Sherman previous suspected Volpe would be optioned back to Scranton to start playing other positions in an effort to become more versatile off the bench. Instead, we guess they'll be doing that in the big leagues?

That does seem like a bit of a risk given Volpe has only played shortstop for the Yankees. The other option is Caballero gets some second base/outfield reps to give Boone flexibility and give struggling players a breather."

That’s the entire argument right there. Why are they bending the roster around Volpe instead of simply acknowledging what fans are watching?

José Caballero looks like the more natural shortstop. That's it, the end. Better reactions, better athletic rhythm, more confidence, more instinctive movement. And shortstop is not a “developmental charity” position. It’s arguably the most important defensive position on the field outside of catcher.

So, if Caballero is currently the best shortstop on the roster, then the job should belong to him until somebody takes it away.

Instead, fans fear Aaron Boone will continue forcing the Volpe narrative because he already publicly labeled him “F’in elite.” Once a manager says something like that, every lineup card becomes a referendum on whether he’s evaluating honestly or defending his own prior statements.

And the thing that really drives fans nuts is the inconsistency. The Yankees were willing to challenge Jones. They were willing to challenge Cruz. But with Volpe, the organization still behaves like the original projection matters more than the current product.

I believe the solution honestly isn’t radical baseball thinking either:

• Send Volpe down.
• Let him learn second base.
• Pair him with George Lombard Jr..
• Reduce the pressure.
• Let Caballero own shortstop on the big team.

That’s not giving up on a player. That’s adjusting reality to fit the player instead of forcing the player into a role that may not fit anymore.

My broader criticism of the Yankees front office is something a lot of modern baseball fans argue about constantly. That Yankees rely heavily on projections, models, expected outcomes, and development curves, while fans are watching body language, confidence, instincts, fatigue, hesitation, and mental wear in real time.

Baseball people sometimes dismiss that stuff publicly, but internally? Teams absolutely need to know confidence and mental state matter. The question is whether the Yankees are willing to admit that the pressure attached to Volpe at shortstop may now be hurting both the player and the team.

By the way, the photo up top?

Inspired by the love affair from Ghost. If you know, you know.

BOONE'S OBSESSION IS ALARMING

What drives me insane isn’t even Anthony Volpe anymore — it’s Aaron Boone’s bizarre obsession with him. At this point, Boone doesn’t manage Volpe like a ballplayer. He manages him like a fragile family heirloom that belongs in a glass case. Every slump gets explained away. Every mistake gets defended like it’s a Supreme Court case. Every decent week gets treated like Volpe just carried the Yankees on his back through October. It's May.

Meanwhile, every other young player in the organization has to survive a firing squad just to get one consistent opportunity.

Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa absolutely nailed it when she wrote about Boone pretending he’s “unsure” whether Jose Caballero should get the shortstop job back when he returns. HERE. Boone’s little “we’ll see” act is insulting at this point. We all know what that means: “I’m gonna do everything possible to keep my favorite in the lineup.”

Because with Boone, Volpe never actually has to lose his job. Everybody else does.

Caballero earned the role. Period. This isn’t complicated. The guy is better than Volpe, brought more energy, made more things happen offensively, and looked like an actual sparkplug instead of a project the Yankees marketing department keeps trying to convince us is a superstar.

But Volpe has one nice stretch and suddenly Boone starts sounding like a proud parent at a middle school awards ceremony.  And that’s the problem. Boone babies Volpe.

Volpe finally plays decent baseball for a week and Boone reacts like he just watched Mickey Mantle reincarnate. No, Aaron — he’s doing what a Major League shortstop is supposed to do. That's meeting expectations, bub. That’s not greatness. That’s competence. There’s a difference.

Consistency is expected in the majors. It’s not some magical achievement worthy of nonstop praise. Caballero runs more aggressively, impacts games more consistently, strikes out less, and frankly looks hungrier. But Volpe gets infinite patience because Boone is emotionally attached to the idea of him.

And Boone’s constant defending of Volpe is exhausting. The stolen base challenge last night was the perfect example.

Volpe was caught stealing to end the fourth, and the call was confirmed after the Yankees challenged

Aaron Boone did not agree pic.twitter.com/JENCL36F09

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 20, 2026

 Volpe was called out. They challenged it, still out, sometimes that's baseball. Sometimes you don't get the call. Sometimes you don't get what you want in life. Are you listening Boone? Volpe? Sometimes you have to earn stuff and sometimes you get bad breaks. That's life.  move on. But Boone's a crybaby when it comes to Volpe. He immediately jumped into lawyer mode because heaven forbid Volpe ever simply loses a play. Boone does this all the time with him. Every failure comes with an excuse attached. Every criticism gets treated like an attack on the family name.

Which honestly explains a lot about Boone himself.  Aaron Boone grew up wrapped in baseball privilege. The Boone name carried weight long before Aaron ever proved anything on a field. His grandfather, father, and brother all had stronger baseball legacies than he did, yet Boone still got years of opportunity because that last name opened doors. This is my opinion and trust me I'm not far off. Outside of one famous homer against Tim Wakefield — a moment Yankees fans romanticize even though the team would go on and lose the World Series anyway — Boone was never some legendary player.

But he was protected. He was coddled. He was given runway other players never get. And now he’s repeating the cycle with Volpe. It's learned behavior.

Boone sees himself in him: the overprotected golden boy who gets chance after chance because the organization is too invested in the image to admit reality. It’s favoritism disguised as “development.”

Meanwhile, players who actually earned opportunities got buried.

Oswald Peraza barely got a fair shake under Boone. Every mistake Peraza made felt career-ending while Volpe could boot balls into the outfield and still get a public pep talk afterward. Now Peraza’s with the Angels hitting over .260 with power because — shockingly — talented young players tend to improve when their manager isn’t sabotaging their confidence every five minutes.

And Oswaldo Cabrera? Another guy Boone jerks around endlessly despite his versatility and steady glove. The Yankees always seem to have room for Volpe’s growing pains, but everybody else gets treated like disposable depth. Cabrera is stuck in the minors.

This whole thing feels manufactured.

Volpe is marketable. He’s the local kid. The clean-cut Yankees shortstop they can slap on billboards and jersey racks. Caballero doesn’t fit the corporate fairy tale, so Boone keeps trying to force-feed fans the idea that Volpe is already a cornerstone superstar instead of what he actually is right now: a young player still trying to prove he belongs.

And the most frustrating part? Boone acts like acknowledging reality is some kind of betrayal.

No, Aaron. Saying Volpe is finally doing his job isn’t “hate.” It’s honesty. A good week doesn’t erase years of inconsistency. It doesn’t mean he’s untouchable. It doesn’t mean other players should lose opportunities they actually earned.

When Friday comes, Caballero should start at shortstop. Not because Volpe is hopeless — but because merit is supposed to matter. Caballero earned the spot with real production: .259 average, .320 OBP, .400 slugging, a .720 OPS, four homers, 13 RBIs, and 13 steals in 41 games.

That should make the decision easy.

But Boone’s judgment around Volpe stopped being objective a long time ago. It’s emotional now. It's creepy. It's weird. It's alarming. That’s what makes this whole thing so forced, and honestly, so unfair.

And deep down, every Yankees fan already knows what’s coming next. Boone will protect his favorite.

Again.

And the same thing will happen. it's a vicious cycle and Boone is stuck in it. And sadly? We all have to suffer.

BOONE'S TWO WORD ANSWER JUST TOLD US EVERYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW!

Cross your fingers, Jose Caballero MIGHT come off the Injured List on Friday. Well, possibly.....maybe.....hopefully. Please baseball gods make that happen. It has everyone wondering if that does happen, will Anthony Volpe be sent back down?

Every fiber of my being wants to see Caballero back in the lineup to take back the job he earned. But Aaron Boone is being the clown that he is and being extra cryptic. When we was asked if Volpe would remain on the roster and assume the role of a utility man he answered with "we'll see," read more HERE.

That tells us everything we need to know. Boone has done everything he can to defend and protect Volpe anyway. This unfortunate injury to Caballero is a bigger reason to keep him around. Volpe is insurance in Baboonie's eyes even though he is a liability to the rest of us who see things clearly.

Keeping Volpe on the major league roster means Caballero is freed up to fill in at second or third base as needed. He can give someone else a day off. Hell, with how often Baboonie has used his bench Caballero could start at second base and still shift over to shortstop. It's how Baboonie operates. Even if Volpe does get a starting gig, I bet a million dollars I don't have that Caballero would still get a couple starts a week somewhere.

No matter how you slice it, Caballero is the better defender and hitter. He should play with confidence that he earned the job. He's the better overall player and Baboonie needs to put the best available players on the field so he can actually win series instead of lose them. It's not rocket science, but for some reason he doesn't seem to get that and he still gets to fill out the lineup each and every game. It's maddening. 

But the bigger reason to keep Volpe on the roster will be the unknown fear about what the injury has done to Caballero. A fractured finger is a big deal for these guys. He was off to a good start but has he had enough time to heal? Is he really ready to field and swing a bat? If the Yankees rush him back too soon and he hurts himself again that would be a bitter pill to swallow because that would mean even more Volpe. That would be a nightmare!

So I know Baboonie said "we'll see" to be evasive and try to leave us all in suspense but I'm not buying it. Those two words aren't a mystery. They REALLY mean "we'll see" Volpe back at shortstop....and you can bet on that one.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEES MANUFACTURED SUPERSTAR PROBLEM

I know, I know… I’m the “Volpe hater.” Some of you have wanted to say it to me for years, and plenty of you already have. That’s fine. I really don’t care anymore. Opinion in journalism is how the world works.  You don't have to like it. I don't have to like certain things either.

I have said this repeatedly. Buckle up. At some point, people have to stop pretending this story is about a player earning a spot and start admitting what it actually looks like: favoritism, connections, and an organization forcing a narrative down everybody’s throat and hoping... praying that it works.

There are players who claw their way through the minors, earn every promotion, survive every slump, and force the organization to notice them. And when it happens... it feels good for everyone.

Then there are players who get treated like a VIP at a nightclub before they’ve even proven they belong inside.

After everything I uncovered in my piece, HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT, I’m more convinced than ever that Anthony Volpe was pushed through the Yankees organization because certain people inside the building became personally invested in proving they were right about him.

And once that happens? Logic leaves the room. Suddenly the normal standards don’t apply anymore.

A kid struggles? “Trust the process.”  A kid looks overwhelmed? “He’s adjusting.” A kid hurts the team offensively for months? “He’s battling.” Listen to Boone night after night. He fanboys this Volpe kid like a proud dad on a tee-ball field.

Meanwhile, if another kid without the friendships, relationships, and internal backing performed the exact same way, he’d be on a bus ride to Scranton before the postgame spread hit the clubhouse. That’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud. Bleeding Yankee Blue calls it like we see it and people don't like it.  Well we didn't start this blog to make friends. We started it because we are real fans. We don't trry to coddle Yankee players so we get interviews.  We don't try to be nice when the team sucks so we get access. We are grassroots and we call it like it is.  

Look, the Yankees didn’t truly develop Volpe — they protected him in my opinion. They insulated him. They marketed him. They treated him like an organizational project long before he proved he was a franchise cornerstone.

And the more I read about guys like Matt Hyde gushing over him, the worse it looks. Hyde coaching Volpe during summer ball 2 years in a row and somehow that became enough for people in the organization to treat him like baseball royalty. Damon Oppenheimer himself admitted Volpe wasn’t initially viewed as some elite can’t-miss talent internally, yet somehow the machine kicked into gear anyway because influential voices became emotionally attached to the kid. That’s not scouting. That’s politics.

Real scouting is objective. Real scouting says, “Here are the flaws. Here’s the timeline. Here’s what still needs work.”

What happened here felt more like certain people inside the Yankees desperately trying to protect their own reputations by making sure Volpe succeeded no matter how much forcing it took. This is my opinion.  And again, what message does that send?

Work hard? Maybe.

Or just hope the right executive likes you enough to move mountains on your behalf.

Don't lose your way Yankee fans. Three weeks ago, the Yankee fanbase was practically unanimous: Jose Caballero earned the job, and Volpe shouldn’t have been called back up yet. The comments are everywhere. Fans were tired of watching automatic outs buried in the lineup from Volpe while a more productive player sat.

Then fast forward. Caballero is out, Volpe is back in the majors. Volpe has a nice Sunday against the Mets. Except for when he crossed the line literally and slammed into 2nd baseman Max Schuemann ruining a legit shot at getting the runner out at home. But then he follows it with a solid game Monday against Toronto. Suddenly everybody wants to erase two years of inconsistency because he had a couple good nights in May.

That’s Yankees fandom now. Two games and amnesia kicks in I guess.

And listen — good for him. Seriously. I’m glad he’s producing. I never root for failure in pinstripes.

But with the amount of hype, protection, excuses, media shielding, and internal lobbying this kid has received since Day 1, THIS is what should be expected every single game from Anthony Volpe. Not once a week. Not in flashes. Every. Single. Game.

This isn’t some overlooked underdog story anymore. The Yankees themselves created the expectation that Anthony Volpe was supposed to become a superstar immediately. They sold that to the media. They sold it to the fans. They sold it to themselves. Boone walks around the dugout muttering "He's f'in elite" when we all know he's not. But say it enough and you start to believe your own B.S.

So don’t get angry when people hold Volpe to the standard THEY created.  And please stop with the shoulder excuse already. I’m beyond tired of hearing about the shoulder. I never bought it. In my opinion, the Yankees knew he was suffocating the lineup offensively and needed a reset without publicly admitting their prized project wasn’t working. So, they dressed it up neatly.

Call it an “injury,” slow the criticism down, buy some time, and hope people forget how bad things looked before he disappeared. That’s what it felt like to me.

And even with this recent hot streak, I still do not believe Anthony Volpe should have been handed the Yankees shortstop job. I don’t see a long-term elite shortstop. I see a utility infielder. A backup second baseman. A player with limited range, inconsistent instincts, and an organization trying to convince everybody they’re watching something generational.

Meanwhile, Jose Caballero goes out there and simply plays winning baseball.  He pressures defenses. He changes games on the bases. He gets on base more consistently. He brings versatility. He gives managers options. He looks like a player fighting to stay in the league every inning he’s on the field.

There’s a hunger to his game. With Volpe, too often it feels like the Yankees already decided who he was supposed to become years ago and now everybody else is expected to nod along.

But hey, give him another big week and the baseball world will forget everything all over again. He’ll be “back,” the scouting department will pat themselves on the back, and fans will act like a hot streak suddenly erased all the valid criticism for years.

Congrats on the heater, Volpe. Truly. Cling to it while it lasts.

GIO URSHELA TAPS OUT

Gio Urshela officially called it a career, announcing his retirement on Instagram at just 34 years old. Ten MLB seasons, eight teams, and somehow still one of the more underrated players of his era.

From breaking into the league with Cleveland in 2015 to stops with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Twins, Angels, Tigers, Braves, and Athletics, Gio quietly put together a career most players would gladly sign up for: a .270 batting average, 73 home runs, and 759 hits. Not bad for a guy many front offices seemed determined to label as “just a utility player.”

But Yankees fans knew better.

Acquired for literal cash considerations in 2018 — baseball’s version of finding a Rolex at a garage sale — Urshela became one of the biggest surprises in the Bronx. In 2019, he hit .314 with 21 home runs and 74 RBIs while playing elite defense and delivering huge moments, including clutch homers in the ALCS. He was also an AL Gold Glove finalist in 2020 and played the game like someone who genuinely loved putting on the uniform.

And that’s why so many fans never understood why the Yankees moved on from him so easily.

At the time, Brian Cashman defended the trade for Josh Donaldson by basically saying the Yankees had upgraded everywhere on the field. Yankees fans were told Donaldson was the better bat, better glove, better fit — better everything.

As we all painfully remember, that aged about as well as milk in July.

Donaldson became a total bust, Cashman was wrong, while Gio continued being exactly what he’d always been: dependable, tough, professional, and the kind of teammate willing to run through a wall for his club. Meanwhile, Urshela himself admitted he was blindsided and confused when the Yankees decided to move on. Frankly, a lot of fans were too.

Even now in 2026, the Yankees still seem obsessed with chasing the “big upgrade” while overlooking players who actually fit the heartbeat of the team. Gio was one of those guys. Never flashy. Never loud. Just solid every single day.

Yesterday, Urshela posted this message:

“Today is the day to close this chapter as a professional player, and this is not a moment to be sad, it is a moment to be grateful to God for allowing me to play this beautiful sport that changed my life.”

That says everything about who Gio Urshela was. A pro’s pro. A fan favorite. One of the good ones.

Congrats on the retirement, Gio. Yankees fans won’t forget you.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE YANKEES, A TRUE FAN PERSPECTIVE

Ladies and Gentlemen, a post from a Bleeding Yankee Blue reader, you should all take a look today. Thank you Steve.

To my frustrated fans. Let me introduce myself through my 80 years of Yankee history. I was born and raised in the Bronx. At birth, I was practically swaddled in a Yankee blue blanket. So, it began.

From ages 1-5, I knew little about baseball, but I was heavily influenced by my older cousin to become a Yankee fan — much to the dismay of his younger brother, a diehard Dodger fan. I attended my first Yankee game at age 6 with my father. There in right field was #6, who would ultimately take #7 and move to center field. The Mick. I was hooked on him and the team from that moment on.

Loving the excitement of Yankee baseball, I would attend 20-30 games a year, paying only 25 cents plus my school pass. What excitement those years were under the ownership of Topping and Webb.

Darkness and clouds arrived in 1964 with the purchase of the Yankees by CBS. The team became nothing more than their CASH COW. I persevered and still loved the Yankees, though with annual disappointment.

The clouds finally cleared when George Steinbrenner purchased the team. He was tough on players, but he loved the Yankees. He directed and spent whatever it took to build a championship team. With George’s passing, and the transfer of control to his sons — ultimately to Hal Steinbrenner — the dark clouds slowly began to roll back in.

The first problem with the Yankees, resulting in a non-championship team, is that Hal loves his NYFC and Manchester soccer interests. The Yankees are once again becoming a CASH COW for ownership.

The second problem is Brian Cashman. Yes, his budget is restricted by Hal, but he has lost his eye for young, quality talent and has resorted to band-aid fixes — mainly finding players who are nearly over the hill to fill holes.

The third problem, as most of us see it, is Aaron Boone. He is not a championship-caliber manager. Robert Casey has stated that numerous times on Bleeding Yankee Blue. He lacks natural managerial instinct. He continues to play struggling players simply because he likes them. His bullpen management is often atrocious.

The fourth problem, in my opinion, is scouting. The Yankees are no longer finding enough high-quality talent capable of thriving at the major league level.

Now the time has come to either make or break this year’s team. We need strong right-handed hitters batting .290-.300, especially at third base and shortstop. I am not a fan of Volpe there. We need to find a catcher who is not only solid defensively but also an offensive threat. Clean out the bullpen and get rid of the mediocrity. Find a true closer who can protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning.

We can only hope Boone finally understands both his strengths and his WEAKNESSES and adjusts accordingly. Move away from the automatic lefty/righty obsession. Stay away from algorithm-driven, numbers-only baseball. As a former baseball player myself (non-pro), I know that a left-handed hitter and a right-handed hitter still carry the same strike zone — only the angle changes. There is too much overthinking behind the concept, especially when you bat Goldschmidt for Rice in critical situations.

I hope these improvements are not just a pipe dream before the clouds roll back in once again. A brief break of sunshine appeared when Hal allowed Juan Soto to be signed. At least we were rewarded with a World Series appearance.

If Hal, Cashman, and Boone are not replaced or held accountable, I will once again be crying Yankee Blues.

That's my take. 

--Steve Cohen

FALLING BACK DOWN TO EARTH

The Yankees have a pattern. They start the season off strong, and then when the dog days of summer arrive they hit a wall and take a nose dive. We've seen that in July and as frustrated as I get when I see it, I still know it's likely. But....it's middle of may. We are ahead of schedule. The Yankees just dropped three series in a row we should've beaten. Are we already free falling?

We knew the bullpen needed an overhaul. Cashman made some interesting moves and back in March they were rolling and we asked DID CASHMAN FINALLY GET SOMETHING RIGHT? I said I wanted to see Camilo Doval, Jake Bird and David Bednar adapted and performed over the next six months before celebrating a good start of the season. I think we can officially say we don't need six months. We can't afford six more weeks with what is going on....

These guys are complete busts! Our "needs" list is growing longer and longer by the minute. Once again, this is not a team built to win a championship. It's a team that is going to hit a wall and come up short while the National League contenders plow through them. The Yankees need to make some moves, take on some payroll and right some wrongs here.

The bullpen trio has to go. Right now, I only trust Tim Hill. That's it! Bednar is not a real closer, and Doval and Bird are gambles that are almost a guaranteed failure. Unless our starters can go eight innings, we are setting ourselves up for a blown game like we saw last night against the Mets. These games just can't happen, especially now that our starting rotation took a hit losing Max Fried. There's just no confidence.

The Yankees also need a catcher because Austin Wells isn't it! The Yankees don't want to use Ben Rice behind the plate and honestly, I am not feeling good with Paul Goldschmidt the rest of the season getting more reps at first base. The Yankees need more stability. It's a patch job.

It's no secret Anthony Volpe is a disaster and he's back up again because Jose Caballero is injured. When Caballero is healthy again, he needs to come back to shortstop, and the Yankees just need to cut their losses with Volpe. He's not going to be our answer, maybe some other team can use him.

Honestly, the infield and the bullpen really concern me right now. These are big pieces that just have to function. The pitching and offense (when it shows up) can't make up for those voids. Championship caliber teams don't gamble like this. 

Cashman needs to fix this - because if he can't and he can't put together that winning team he doesn't belong here and the Yankees need to pull their heads out of their butts. Just like in any job, if you can't perform....it's time to move on.

This is a mess and we're all tired of it. Bandaged, flawed teams are not what we expect in the Bronx. No more mediocrity - stop the freefall! Fix it, already!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

BREAKOUT DAY FOR VOLPE BECOMES DEVASTATING MESS UP BY VOLPE

Anthony Volpe’s biggest talent right now might be convincing the Yankees organization that every disaster is somehow “growth.”

Because what happened in today's game against the Mets was not a little mistake. It was not “miscommunication.” It was not one of those harmless baseball quirks Boone loves laughing off in postgame interviews when it comes to his boy toy Anthony Volpe. It was overthinking and trying to be a hero at the worst possible moment for this high schooler. Wow.

Volpe plays shortstop for the New York Yankees like someone trying to remember instructions while assembling IKEA furniture these days. On the most important defensive play of the game, he wandered directly into Max Schuemann’s lane and blew up any realistic chance to save the game. Schumann's momentum would have taken him straight home with the throw giving the Yankees a chance.  If Volpe were to even get the ball, he would have needed to turn his body essentially running out of time and losing the game with no chance.  Everyone in the building knew it. Volpe... was trying to be a hero. It just didn't make sense.

That is Little League stuff. That is the kind of mistake coaches scream about when kids are 12 years old because by the time you reach the majors, you are supposed to understand where you are standing on a baseball field.

And yet here we are.

The most maddening part? Boone will absolutely protect him afterward. He always does. Boone treats Volpe like a fragile science project instead of a player who should be held accountable. Every brutal mistake gets wrapped in a warm blanket of excuses.

“He competed.”
“He had good at-bats.”
“He’s growing.”

"He's trying."

Enough already.

Volpe can go 3-for-4 all he wants, but if he’s physically colliding with his own teammate in the 10th inning because he lacks situational awareness, then what exactly are we celebrating here?

This is the Yankees. Not a developmental league. Not a summer camp. Boone keeps penciling him into the lineup every single day no matter how sloppy he plays, no matter how erratic the decision-making becomes, and no matter how many games get tilted because of boneheaded baseball. At some point, nonstop playing time stops being “confidence building” and starts becoming organizational negligence. Volpe is a liability.

And the worst thing Boone has done is convince Volpe that effort equals execution.

It doesn’t.

Nobody questions that Volpe plays hard. The problem is he plays reckless. There’s a difference. Diving around and sprinting into chaos does not make you fundamentally sound. Sometimes it just makes the mistakes louder. It looked like the first week when you bring all the kids out and introduce them to Tee-ball and on every hit, the flock of kids chase the ball. It was ugly.

The Yankees lost 7-6 to another last-place team because once again they played undisciplined baseball at the exact moment discipline mattered most. And once again, Boone will defend it as "we tried."

Meanwhile, the reality is ugly: Your shortstop sabotaged the final play of the game by crashing into his own second baseman.

That’s not unlucky.

That’s unacceptable.

GIVE IT A REST BOONE, IT'S TIME TO BENCH VOLPE

Let's talk about Anthony Volpe. Or more specifically, let's talk about what Anthony Volpe has not done since the Yankees brought him back from Triple-A Scranton on May 13th, because that list is considerably longer and far more interesting.

When José Caballero fractured his finger diving back to first base against the Brewers, the Yankees had no choice but to recall their former crown jewel shortstop. Why? Because Boone missed him. Caballero had been outstanding before the injury — hitting .259 with 4 home runs, a .720 OPS and 13 stolen bases in 41 games — and losing him stung. But fine, you plug the hole with the best available option, and Volpe was it according to the Yankees. I could have made an argument that you didn't need him at all, but here we are. 

And so Volpe flew into Camden Yards, got his name in the lineup for the May 13th series finale against the Orioles, and promptly went 0-for-3 with a fielding error in a 7-0 blowout loss. Not exactly the triumphant return anyone had penciled in.

After the day off May 14th, things did not improve from there. Over the next two games against the Mets in the opening weekend of the Subway Series, Volpe went 0-for-1 on Friday and 0-for-2 on Saturday. That's eleven at-bats since his recall. Zero hits. A batting average so low it would need a ladder just to reach the Mendoza Line. But Volpe walked 5 times. That's something right? Well, not really. I'll tell you why in a minute.

Now, Aaron Boone will tell you — and you can already hear him saying it in that calm, measured, Aaron Boone way of his — that Volpe has actually been seeing the ball well. That he's been patient. That the walks are a good sign. And look, technically, he's not wrong. Volpe drew three walks on Friday alone, and two more on Saturday, giving him five free passes in three games. For a guy who came up to the majors and spent the better part of two seasons hacking at anything that moved, plate discipline is growth. It's progress. It's something.

It's just that it means absolutely nothing if you never score. See what I mean?

Every single one of those five walks died a quiet death on the basepaths. On Friday in the third inning, Volpe walked to load the bases and Aaron Judge flew out to end the threat. He walked again in the fifth — stranded. Walked again in the seventh — stranded. On Saturday he walked with runners on and Austin Wells struck out to kill the inning. Then in the seventh, with the bases loaded and a chance to at least be a factor in a rally, Volpe grounded into a force out to end the inning entirely. Five walks, five dead ends, zero runs scored. He's been getting on base like a man who keeps boarding a train that never leaves the station, like his career.

The error on May 13th feels important to mention again, because it really did set the tone for this entire stretch. First game of the season, first opportunity to remind people why they once talked about this kid like he was Derek Jeter's spiritual successor, and he boots one in the field. The Yankees lost by seven. It was the kind of debut that makes you wince even if you like the guy. Volpe has been quoted as saying "I can't control what I can't control." But wait a minute little boy, you are back in the major leagues... YOU CAN CONTROL YOU DESTINY! YOU HAVE TO HIT! The dude's like a 5-year-old, was he ever media trained?

And Boone does like the guy. That much is obvious. There's a loyalty there that goes beyond the practical, it's creepy weird. The kind of managerial attachment that makes a skipper keep running a struggling player out there long past the point where the numbers justify it.

So look, here's the reality of what Volpe's 2026 has looked like: he started the year on the injured list recovering from shoulder surgery, did a rehab stint in Double-A Somerset, got sent to Triple-A, and then back to Double-A and then got yanked back to the big leagues because someone got hurt. That is not an ideal rehab runway for any player, let alone one who struggled as badly as Volpe did in 2025, when he hit .212 in 153 games and led the American League in errors with 19. The offensive questions that followed him into this offseason have not gone away. Trust you, I will remind you every day... and I will ride this kid until he's a backup 2nd baseman on the Reds. If anything, the first three games of his 2026 season have underlined them in red ink.

Zero hits. Zero runs scored. One error. Five walks that amounted to nothing. The Yankees went 2-6 on their road trip and hit a miserable 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position during the Mets series. Volpe didn't cause all of that, but he certainly didn't help. At some point, plate discipline without production is just a polite way of saying you're not doing any damage — and right now, Anthony Volpe is the least damaging baserunner in pinstripes.

Aaron Boone can talk about walks and process all he wants. The scoreboard doesn't grade on a curve, and we just broke down his performance, and it ain't good.

LIKE THIS? READ THIS:

HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT

WEAVER REMINDS THE YANKEES OF WHAT THEY COULD HAVE HAD

“I’m not the biggest guy in the room, but I ain’t scared of nobody.”

--Luke Weaver

Luke Weaver didn’t just expose the Yankees bullpen problem Saturday night — he was the answer they let walk out the door.

This wasn’t some overpriced superstar the Yankees couldn’t afford to keep. This was a guy they helped rebuild. A scrap-heap arm who turned himself into a bulldog in the Bronx. A “point and go” pitcher who took every role imaginable and somehow became one of the most reliable weapons Aaron Boone had when the season was hanging by a thread. Their closer.

And what did the Yankees do?

They handed out money elsewhere, watched Trent Grisham accept a one-year, $22 million qualifying offer, shrugged, and basically told Luke Weaver, “Thanks for the memories.”

Bad move, because Weaver clearly remembered.

The second he signed with the New York Mets, you just knew this matchup was circled on his calendar in permanent marker. Revenge games are real, and Weaver looked like a man who had spent months imagining this exact moment. Bases loaded. No outs. Two-run lead against his former team.

That’s either a nightmare or a movie script. Weaver made it cinema.

He punched out Amed Rosario. Then Grisham. Then he got the always-harmless Anthony Volpe to end the inning, because of course Volpe found a way to make the biggest moment disappear into a routine out. At this point, expecting a clutch hit from Volpe is like expecting New Jersey traffic to magically vanish at rush hour.

Weaver was breathing fire, too. The radar gun touched 97.6 mph — his highest velocity of the season. After one strikeout, he barked for the ball back immediately like a guy operating on pure adrenaline and spite. You could practically see the emotion pouring out of him.

And honestly? Good for him.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: Luke Weaver has a legitimate case for being more valuable than David Bednar. Bednar is your classic ninth-inning closer. Fine. But Weaver gives you versatility, swing-and-miss stuff, multiple innings, and better adaptability for today’s game. Managers dream about arms like that in October. The Yankees can't win in October.

Most importantly, Weaver was a teammate. A gamer. The kind of guy Yankee fans naturally gravitate toward because he looked like he genuinely loved wearing the pinstripes.

So no, don’t get it twisted — I’m still a Yankee fan through and through. But if you watched that moment Saturday night and didn’t feel even a little happy for Luke Weaver, you’re lying to yourself.

He wanted revenge, and he absolutely got it. That's what great baseball is.