THE VOLPE "INJURY" NEVER MADE SENSE TO ME

It's been bothering me, and so when I read Volpe's quote today about his shoulder and "treatment" I at least believe now more than ever that the Yankee cover stuff up. My opinion of course. Like let me see if I’ve got this straight.

We’re supposed to believe the saga of Anthony Volpe’s shoulder unfolded like this: he supposedly felt a “pop” on May 3, 2025… kept playing… nobody heard a peep about pain, discomfort, limitations, or anything resembling an injury… and then—poof—on September 2025 the New York Yankees casually announce Volpe has been dealing with a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder the whole time.

 But that was not an injury update in my opinion. That was a plot twist.

All we heard from Boone and Cashman was “his shoulder’s a little cranky.” Cranky? My shoulder gets cranky when I sleep on it wrong. A torn labrum is not cranky. That’s the kind of thing that usually involves words like shutdown, imaging, and IL stint.

Instead, Volpe kept running out there every day while Boone loudly insisted he was, and I quote, “F-in elite.” Boone used him constantly, almost like the Yankees were trying to prove a point to the baseball universe. Then the season ends and suddenly—surprise!—he’s been playing through a significant shoulder injury all along.

Sure. Now fast-forward to Volpe’s recent quote to the New York Post:

“I feel like I’ve been able to handle everything thrown at me so far. Every day is better, even if it’s a very small amount. Whereas last year, you do a bunch of treatment and you just don’t respond or you feel worse.”

Hold on.

A bunch of treatment?

That’s interesting phrasing for someone whose shoulder was supposedly just “cranky.” Treatment usually means injections, therapy, strengthening programs, maybe even imaging sessions every other week. In other words, treatment is what you do when something is actually wrong, not when your shoulder is mildly annoyed. Which raises a pretty obvious question: if Volpe was getting “a bunch of treatment,” why did nobody mention it until September?

Not Boone.
Not Cashman.
Not the Yankees.

Nothing. So yeah, forgive the skepticism. When an organization suddenly reveals a partially torn labrum five months after the fact, it’s fair to wonder whether the story we’re getting now is the same one that existed in May.

And honestly, I’m a little exhausted with the whole routine. The Yankees have spent years shoving Volpe down everyone’s throat as the next franchise cornerstone when, in reality, he hasn’t earned that pedestal yet. Meanwhile there are other options.

If the Yankees just need someone to hold the fort, give the job to José Caballero full time. Let him grind through the season. Play competent defense. Do the little things. And while that’s happening, let George Lombard Jr. keep developing—because the reports coming out of the minors are hard to ignore.

Scouts rave about Lombard’s physical tools. His arm is stronger than Volpe’s, which means he can make those deep-in-the-hole throws that separate good shortstops from great ones. Defensively, he’s already being described as a wizard with impressive range and instincts.

Then there’s the bat.

Lombard’s swing is faster and more explosive, producing better exit velocities and more raw power potential. In other words, the ceiling is simply higher. That doesn’t mean Lombard is a finished product—but the upside is obvious.

So, here’s a simple plan; Let Caballero handle shortstop for now. Let Volpe sit, heal, and maybe watch how major leaguers go about their business for a while. Then when September rolls around, call Lombard up and see what the kid can do. Have Volpe slide to the end of the bench, you know, by the bathroom.

Because if Lombard's development continues the way it’s trending, the future might look something like this:

• Lombard at shortstop in 2027

• Caballero back in a utility role

• And Volpe… maybe getting a back-up job somewhere like San Francisco or Miami. At this point, that outcome wouldn’t be shocking.

What would be shocking is if the Yankees were actually transparent about injuries for once. But this team? Because of their front office? They've turned into a joke, and if you don't see this and are fooled by them trying to choke you with excitement with social media posts about Ryan Weathers and Anthony Volpe's return, you're being duped.  Wake up. This is not a serious franchise.

I GUESS WE'RE GONNA HAVE FUN WITH THAT RYAN WEATHERS PICK UP

Ryan Weathers took the mound today for his second start of spring training and, well… if the goal was to keep Mets hitters warm on a cool Florida afternoon, mission accomplished.

The left-hander lasted just two innings against the Mets, surrendering six runs—five earned—on seven hits and two walks as the Yankees cruised to a tidy 10-4 loss. Sure, the radar gun lit up at 99 mph, which is the kind of number that makes pitching labs and analytics departments start high-fiving each other like they just discovered fire. But the scoreboard had a slightly different opinion. But the Yankees see potential.

And that brings us to the Yankees’ favorite buzzword: potential.

Potential is the magical word that front offices love because it allows them to talk about what might happen someday instead of what’s actually happening right now. The Yankees’ decision-makers stare at projection models, spin rates, and charts that look like they were stolen from NASA, and suddenly a guy who just gave up a half-dozen runs in two innings becomes a “high-ceiling arm.”

Look, let’s keep it real. I wasn’t a fan of bringing Ryan Weathers in to begin with.

Was he decent at times with the Miami Marlins? Sure. But the Yankees aren’t supposed to be in the business of collecting “pretty decent sometimes.” This is supposed to be the franchise that hunts big game, not one that rummages through the baseball version of the clearance rack.

Right now, Weathers doesn’t look like a fifth starter. He looks like a sixth starter. You feel me? And no, the fact that his father is former major league pitcher David Weathers doesn’t move the needle for me. Baseball bloodlines are fun trivia, not a pitching plan.

The reality the Yankees won’t exactly highlight in their glossy social media clips is this: Ryan Weathers has never put together a full season of sustained major-league success. He’s battled injuries, struggled to consistently prevent runs, and bounced around the league as more of a depth arm than a rotation anchor.

Translation: he’s the kind of pitcher teams acquire when they’re hoping something clicks—not when they’re trying to dominate a division.

If the Yankees were truly serious about fixing their pitching staff, they would have gone out and landed a legitimate frontline arm. The kind of pitcher who makes opposing lineups sigh before the first pitch is thrown. Instead, they grabbed a “maybe.”

After the game, manager Aaron Boone shrugged it off and called the outing another step in Weathers’ buildup. Which, technically speaking, is true. Spring training is about ramping up.

But let’s also acknowledge what’s happening here: Yankees fans are once again being sold on the idea of development projects playing meaningful roles in the major leagues.

You’ve seen this movie before.

Austin Wells.

Anthony Volpe.

Now Ryan Weathers, and there will be more.

The Yankees will package it nicely, sprinkle in some Statcast graphics, post a few slow-motion bullpen clips, and suddenly the narrative becomes: just wait until the potential shows up.

Maybe it will.

Maybe it won’t.

But if you’re a Yankees fan who’s been around the block a few times, you might want to take the hype with a grain of salt like me. Do your own digging. Look at the numbers. Ignore the glossy propaganda.

Because in the Bronx these days, potential has become the most overused pitch in the organization. And unlike a 99-mph fastball, it rarely blows anyone away.

WHY CARLOS RODON IS IMPORTANT

For a while there, Carlos Rodón looked like a guy trying to assemble a complicated piece of IKEA furniture without the instructions. Lots of parts, plenty of effort… but something clearly wasn’t clicking.

When the New York Yankees signed Rodón before the 2023 season, the expectation was simple: this was supposed to be the guy who shoved. The fiery lefty who dominated with the Chicago White Sox and later the San Francisco Giants was supposed to slide into the Bronx and become a frontline monster.

Instead, his first season in pinstripes felt like watching a sports car stuck in traffic.  Rodón’s early Yankees tenure was defined by injuries, inconsistency, and plenty of frustration. The velocity wasn’t always there, the command wandered, and the results often looked nothing like the pitcher the Yankees thought they were getting.

Fans who expected dominance got turbulence instead. And in New York, turbulence doesn’t stay quiet for long.

But to Rodón’s credit, he didn’t completely fold. By last season, he began to show signs that he was finally figuring things out. The fastball had more life, the slider started biting again, and the confidence that once made him one of the more intimidating lefties in baseball slowly returned.

It wasn’t a full resurrection, but it was progress. Just when things started to stabilize, however, Rodón ran into another speed bump. During the offseason, Rodón underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow — never exactly the phrase a fanbase wants to hear when discussing a starting pitcher.

The procedure forced him to hit pause again.

Fortunately for the Yankees, the recovery appears to be moving in the right direction.

After another bullpen session on Saturday, Rodón received some encouraging news: he’s expected to face live hitters next week for the first time since the surgery.

That’s a meaningful step forward. Rodón has said the elbow feels good and his range of motion has improved considerably, but there’s still some rust to shake off. He admitted he's still “trying to figure out how everything moves again and just find the pitch shapes.” Translation: the arm works — now he just needs to make the baseball behave again. Here’s the reality for the Yankees.

If Rodón is right, he can still be really good. Not “serviceable.” Not “fifth starter who eats innings.”

Good. We’ve seen the version of Rodón who overpowers hitters and racks up strikeouts in bunches. That guy is still in there somewhere, and if he shows up in the Bronx this season, the Yankees rotation suddenly looks a lot more respectable.

But if he doesn’t?

That’s where things start getting uncomfortable. Right now, the Yankees rotation has one thing going for it: Max Fried at the top. Cole? Not back yet.

Behind him? It gets shaky in a hurry.

There’s a lot of talk about depth, internal options, and young arms waiting for their shot. But depth on paper and depth on the mound are two very different things.

For example, the Yankees are not simply handing a rotation spot to Carlos Lagrange. Prospect hype is great for spring conversations and spring training headlines, but it doesn’t guarantee big-league readiness, especially if you're on the Yankees. Most likely they will keep you in the minors and waste you. Then there’s the growing drumbeat around Will Warren, who the organization keeps promoting as the next promising arm ready to help stabilize the staff.

Maybe he will be.

But right now? That remains more projection than proof. Which brings us right back to Rodón.  For all the hype about prospects and depth charts, the Yankees’ rotation might ultimately hinge on whether Rodón can stay healthy and pitch like the guy they thought they were signing.

Because if he does, the Yankees have a legitimate weapon.

If he doesn’t… well, suddenly that rotation starts looking a lot thinner than anyone in the front office would like to admit.

And in a division where every win matters, thin rotations have a nasty habit of turning October dreams into September autopsies. 

IKF DROPS A TRUTH BOMB & BOONE IS BAFFLED

The New York Yankees have become the baseball version of a corporate meeting that should’ve been an email. A roster full of Aaron Judge and surrounded by players chosen not because anyone actually watched them play, but because a spreadsheet somewhere blinked green. The front office has become so obsessed with numbers that they’ve forgotten the basic human element of the game — instincts, toughness, and whether a guy actually looks like he belongs on a big-league field. My opinion of course. Sure, come at me and tell me the Yankees are the winningest team in baseball in spring training all you want. I'll tell you to pump the brakes... it's spring training.

And that’s the real problem. The Yankees used to build teams with feel. Now they build them with algorithms.

I’ll go one step further: I don’t believe the Yankees will win another championship under the current regime. Not with Aaron Boone managing, and not with the current brain trust building the roster. In fact, I’ll make a prediction right now — the Yankees won’t win a World Series for the remainder of Aaron Judge’s career in pinstripes. Bold? Maybe, but I don't think I'm wrong.

Why?

Because the people running the show don’t know their ass from their elbow.

And apparently, former Yankee Isiah Kiner-Falefa agrees more than he probably meant to.

After signing with the Boston Red Sox, Kiner-Falefa was asked about how the Toronto Blue Jays viewed the Yankees late in the season before the American League Division Series. His answer was refreshingly honest — the kind of honest that rarely comes out of players because everyone in that clubhouse seems trained to speak like they’re being monitored by HR.

“We thought it was a better matchup for us the other way to face New York,” Kiner-Falefa said. “We were watching that series and we were watching Garrett Crochet just dice up.”

In other words: the Yankees looked like the easier path.

Let that sink in.

A team that once terrified the league has now become the matchup opponents hope they get. Kiner-Falefa went further.

“They asked the question — I just gave the honest answer. I love the guys over there. I have nothing bad to say about anybody over there. It was just a matchup thing. Crochet is an unbelievable pitcher, and we did not want to face him after he went eight innings against us… he kind of had everybody’s number.”

Fair enough.  But the truth tends to sting — especially in the Bronx, where honesty is often treated like a foreign language and Boone is dumber than a stump.

According to Joseph Randazzo of New York Yankees on SI, Boone was reportedly “surprised” by the comments and responded with a frustrated “whatever.” Which is honestly the most Aaron Boone reaction imaginable. Confused, mildly annoyed, and completely missing the point.

Because IKF wasn’t wrong. Not even a little.

The Yankees have spent years assembling a roster in a laboratory. Players are selected by analytics departments tucked away in offices, where executives debate launch angles and exit velocity like they’re building a robot instead of a baseball team. And the result? A error-riddled shortstop who batted .212, but is still considered a star by Yankee brass. 

Meanwhile, the game itself — the instincts, the adjustments, the feel — has been pushed aside. That’s how you end up with a team that looks talented but plays flat. A team that constantly loses games it should win. A team opponents openly admit they’d rather face in October.

And the irony here is rich when it comes to Kiner-Falefa. In New York, IKF was treated like he had personally sabotaged the franchise. Boone and Brian Cashman bounced him around the diamond like a utility spare part, the fan base dissected every mistake under a microscope, and he was blamed for problems that were far bigger than him. Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe — the golden child of the analytics department — was making many of the same mistakes while receiving far more patience and protection.

IKF became the scapegoat.

Volpe became the project.

And the Yankees kept spinning their wheels and still are. IKF has moved on been successful in the MLB and earned the right to take a shot at the Yankees.  I have mad respect for that.

The bottom line, if Kiner-Falefa wants to keep talking, honestly, I hope he does. Because sometimes the clearest view of a dysfunctional organization comes from the guys who were inside it.

The bottom line is this: the Yankees are wasting the prime of Aaron Judge.  They keep choosing the wrong players. They keep losing games they should win. And they continue to run it back with a manager who often looks like he’s managing by suggestion box.

This franchise used to set the standard for baseball excellence. Now it’s starting to look like a team run by number nerds in a conference room, trying to solve baseball like it’s a math problem.

And until that changes, the parade down the Canyon of Heroes isn’t coming back anytime soon and that's the honest truth.

JURICKSON PROFAR TESTED POSITIVE FOR PEDS....A SECOND TIME!

Here we go....again. The new face of cheating and stupid choices is Jurickson Profar after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs a SECOND time. So much for the "I would never willingly take a banned substance," speech he gave us in March of 2025 after accepting his 80 game suspension.

This is a real problem in Rob Manfred's world. Major League baseball officially announced a 162 game suspension for Profar. The Atlanta Braves now how to figure out how and when they add to their team now that Profar will not be a factor. Losing Profar is a big blow for Atlanta after a disappointing injury riddled 2025 season and then they had a very quiet winter. They were counting on Profar adding some stability to the lineup. In addition to missing the 2026 season, Profar will not be allowed to participate in the World Baseball Classic and represent the Netherlands. Play stupid games....win stupid prizes, Profar.

Testing once is bad, but this is now the second positive test in two years. It's a huge black mark to add to Manfred's already messy record. It's even uglier when Profar claimed he was innocent the first time around. Clearly, he hasn't learned anything or he's just too stupid to think he would never be caught again. It's bad enough we still have guys like Jenrry Mejia and Alex Rodriguez to talk about and remember.....but now we get one more moron to add to the list.

How much more of this do we have to endure in baseball? Seriously, it's frustrating to watch this continue to happen with just a slap on the wrist for Profar and the backing of the Players Association who are reportedly filing a grievance to challenge his suspension which is stupid. Profar doesn't need to be defended. He needs to admit he screwed up again, and take his punishment like a man. He was caught cheating twice. Years ago he was the top prospect in all of baseball, but obviously he couldn't make it on just his talents. This should not be overlooked, but this is Manfred's world so it will. 

I'm sick of this. All I keep hearing is "if he does it again he is banned for life!" and that's not the answer. We shouldn't accept that and make that a normal reaction. Guys like Profar ruin the integrity of the game and then fans like me get mad hearing about it after we see teams through stupid amounts of money to put them on their teams and play....which we also end up paying for in the grand scheme of things.

When it comes to cheating - it shouldn't be a "three strikes and you are out" ruling. This isn't a plate appearance. This is a bad choice in your job that is a massive character flaw. It's just a bigger mess in Manfred's circus and I am tired of it!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MUSHNICK MISSED THE MARK

Phil Mushnick has made a late-career hobby out of wagging his finger at modern baseball, and his latest swipe at CC Sabathia feels less like sharp commentary and more like someone angrily shaking a fist at a game that passed him by somewhere around the invention of the fifth bullpen specialist.

Let’s be clear: Mushnick’s larger argument—that Major League Baseball has loosened Hall of Fame or honor standards over time—isn’t completely absurd. There’s a fair debate to be had about evolving benchmarks in a sport reshaped by analytics, expanded playoffs, specialized bullpens, and load management. Fine. That’s a conversation.

But using CC Sabathia as your Exhibit A? That’s where the argument collapses faster than a hanging slider in the Bronx.

Sabathia wasn’t some compiler who accidentally wandered into October relevance. He was an ace. A stopper. A bulldog. And most importantly for those of us who watched every high-stakes inning in the Bronx — he delivered when the pressure was suffocating.

And Phil? This is where you sound less like a critic and more like a man yelling at a cloud.

When Sabathia signed that massive contract with the New York Yankees before the 2009 season, he didn’t just arrive with a big arm. He arrived with expectation bordering on hysteria. This wasn’t Cleveland. This wasn’t Milwaukee. This was the stadium where legends are measured in rings and October innings.

And what did he do in Year One?

He led the Yankees to a World Series title.

In 2009:
19–8 record
3.37 ERA
230 innings
197 strikeouts

ALCS MVP
3 postseason wins in the ALCS alone
He was the ace the Yankees paid for — and he pitched like it when it mattered most.

Over 11 seasons in pinstripes:
134 wins
3.81 ERA in the AL East pressure cooker
Over 1,700 strikeouts as a Yankee
Multiple 200+ inning seasons
3 All-Star selections

Veteran leader during multiple postseason runs

And this wasn’t empty calorie pitching. He transitioned mid-career from power flamethrower to craftsman, reinventing himself with a cutter when his velocity dipped. That’s not lowered standards. That’s pitching evolution. Before New York, Sabathia was already elite with the Cleveland Indians and had one of the most ridiculous stretch runs in modern history with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008.

Career totals:

251 wins
3,093 strikeouts
3.74 ERA
3,577 innings pitched
6× All-Star
2007 AL Cy Young Award winner
World Series champion

Those aren’t “lowered standards” numbers. Those are Hall-of-Fame-caliber numbers in any era — especially the steroid-era offensive explosion he pitched through.

And let’s talk about that Milwaukee stretch in 2008. Sabathia practically carried the Brewers to the postseason on short rest, throwing complete games like he was pitching in 1975. That wasn’t analytics babying. That was dominance.

Here’s what critics like Mushnick often miss because it doesn’t fit neatly into a stat column: leadership.

Sabathia became the adult in the Yankees’ clubhouse. The bridge between eras. The mentor to young arms. A stabilizing force during the transition from the Core Four era to the Baby Bombers.

In a city that chews pitchers up and spits them into the East River, Sabathia stood tall. He owned bad outings. He reinvented himself. He confronted personal struggles publicly and returned stronger. Teammates respected him. Fans trusted him.

That matters.

Look, I’m Casey of Bleeding Yankee Blue. I’ll be the first to admit I can get cranky about the Yankees’ front office. I’ve bitched. I’ve moaned. I’ve questioned decisions like it’s my side hustle.

But when it comes to the athletes themselves? I respect the grind. The game is hard. The Bronx is harder. And what CC Sabathia accomplished under that spotlight cannot be dismissed because someone nostalgic for 1968 thinks only 300 wins should count.

Phil Mushnick built his reputation in a different media era — when sports columnists were gatekeepers and outrage was printed on paper once a day. Today’s sports landscape has moved on. The conversation is broader. The analysis is deeper. The audience is smarter.

Taking shots at Sabathia doesn’t make you a standards warrior. It makes you sound disconnected from how the modern game works — how workloads have changed, how bullpens evolved, how run environments fluctuate.

If MLB standards have shifted, it’s because the sport itself has shifted.

Sabathia didn’t lower the bar. He met it. He exceeded it. He thrived in the toughest market in baseball and left the mound with over 3,000 strikeouts and a ring. That’s not diminished greatness. That’s greatness adapted to its time. And no amount of grumbling from an aging columnist changes that.

SHOP FOR GREAT BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE GEAR DEALS: 

THE YANKEES HAD A CHANCE TO TRADE VOLPE & THEY FAILED!

It certainly took a hot minute for this nugget to come out, but now that it has it is both fascinating and infuriating at the same time. Over the winter, the Yankees had the opportunity to trade Anthony Volpe and actually get a guy that could field and hit his weight for average....but they foolishly backed down.

You have to have a paid subscription to see this, but check it out HERE. It's certainly compelling. The Yankees and Red Sox were both talking to the Texas Rangers about Corey Seager. The Rangers were willing to make a move and are still in process of reworking their finances. They are still dealing with significant operating losses and are trying to reduce payroll and moving Seager would've helped. The Yankees need a shortstop upgrade, and the Rangers are looking to shed some payroll....on paper it looked like a match.

Internally, Marcus Semien and Seager were also not getting along with some clubhouse drama mentioned in reports. They helped the Rangers win the World Series but things behind the scenes had reached a breaking point. It ultimately led to the Rangers keeping Seager and trading to the Mets instead because the Yankees were not willing to meet the Rangers trade request. There a wide range of rumors out there about what and who the Rangers were looking for but it sounds like the Yankees were not willing to negotiate.

And so here we are.....still with awful Volpe. So now we know the Yankees are willing to acknowledge that Volpe is not the answer but they are hoping for a miracle and a deal to fall out of the sky that isn't going to happen. The are of the negotiation isn't there right now. So we'll be seeing Volpe soon.

And hoping that Volpe's conversation with Bucky Dent moves mountains and creates a divine miracle, read more HERE. It's year four of the Volpe experiment and instead of a capable shortstop like Seager we get VolpE the error machine. I'm really hoping that Jose Caballero plays so well that the Yankees just can't find room to play Volpe....here's hoping the baseball gods hear me.

Volpe just isn't the answer. He was "supposed to be" but it didn't work out. The Yankees are trying to fit a square peg into a round whole. The sooner they stop doing that and realize Volpe NOT playing is what is best for the team, the better chances we have at winning.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

ROOT HARD FOR JASSON DOMINGUEZ, HE'S HOT!

Look, there’s absolutely no reason Jasson Domínguez shouldn’t be on the Opening Day roster. None. Zero. Zip. He already got a taste of the big leagues last year. Sure, he showed us that the outfield might not exactly be his forever home, but let’s not pretend we don’t know what the real skill is here: the guy can flat-out hit.

And with Giancarlo Stanton currently looking like he’d pull a hamstring opening a bag of barbecue chips, the Yankees need thump. I can't understand the elbow thing with Stanton for the life of me. But if “The Martian” ends up as a DH weapon off the bench instead of Stanton while he recovers? Sign me up. I’ll drive him to the Stadium myself.

Right now, he’s torching Spring training, and I’m loving every second of it.

On Friday, Domínguez batted second in a 17-5 demolition of the Twins and went 3-for-4 with a homer, two singles, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Through four spring games, the 23-year-old is hitting .417 with a home run, two doubles, five RBIs, and a walk. Yes, it’s early. Yes, it’s spring. No, I don’t care. When the ball jumps like that off the bat, you pay attention.

Let’s not forget: this is the same kid the Yankees handed $5.1 million to back in 2019 as the crown jewel of the international class. Sixteen years old. Five-point-one million dollars. That’s not “we like him.” That’s “clear a locker in Monument Park just in case.” A switch-hitter with explosive bat speed, legit raw power, speed on the bases, and a cannon for an arm — he was the kind of prospect that makes scouts talk in bold font.

His minor league track record? Solid. Across 352 games over four seasons, Domínguez hit .274/.373/.444 with 47 homers and 189 RBIs. Not flawless. Not mythical. But plenty good — and still loaded with upside. Funny how the minors helped him. Volpe? Rushed through the minors. Yup, I'm taking another shot at that bum. The Yankees ruined that kid to please their own ego. But I digress.

The Yankees have been waiting for the full breakout from Jasson. Maybe this is the year it finally shows up for good. I’d love to see him grab the job, refuse to give it back, and make the “what do we do with him?” conversations look ridiculous in hindsight.

Let the Martian play. And let’s see what happens.

DEVIN WILLIAMS BACK TO HIS OLD YANKEES FORM

Oh, Devin Williams is “doing great".

Credit where it’s due — the Mets made a splash bringing him in. And honestly? The smartest move the Yankees made all winter might’ve been holding the door open on his way out. Because if his debut with the Mets was any indication, that first impression came with fireworks — unfortunately, they were launched by someone else.

Williams’ opening act? One pitch. One swing. One 422-foot missile courtesy of top Cardinals prospect J.J. Wetherholt. That’s not easing into spring — that’s a batting practice donation.

Let’s keep it real: Williams hasn’t looked like his old self since his days with the Milwaukee Brewers. The dominance, the mystique, the Airbender magic — it’s felt more like turbulence lately. The Yankees saw the dip, saw the price tag, saw other bullpen options on the board, and said, “We’re good.” For once, restraint might’ve been wisdom.

Meanwhile, Steve Cohen continues his ongoing quest to out-Yankee the Yankees. If that means collecting former Bronx names like they’re rare baseball cards, so be it. The irony? Modeling yourself after a team that hasn’t won a championship since 2009 might not be the blueprint you think it is.

Now, could Williams bounce back? Of course. It’s spring training. Weird things happen in February and March. Arms are stretching out. Hitters ambush fastballs. Stats lie. But still — when your Mets tenure begins with a 422-foot reminder that baseball is cruel, it’s at least a little funny.

Let’s just say: the Yankees may not have solved all their problems this offseason, but dodging that first pitch? That might age very well.

VOLPE SPEAKS TO US FANS & IT DOESN'T CHANGE HOW I FEEL

 I’m just going to say it: I never bought into Anthony Volpe.

From day one, it felt like he was gift-wrapped, hyped to the moon, and presented to us as The Chosen One. And look, sometimes that works. Sometimes it’s Derek Jeter. Other times it’s a kid who mashed high school pitching and suddenly gets fast-tracked into the Bronx like the minor leagues are just a suggestion box.

The Yankees fell head over heels for Volpe's high school stat line. The spreadsheets purred. The projections sparkled. But reality? Reality is 95 mph with movement and a slider that disappears into another zip code. You can’t romance that with SAT scores and prep-school OPS.

Volpe looks like a talented young player who needed time — actual seasoning, not a crash course in front of 45,000 critics. Instead, we’ve been watching a development project unfold in real time at Yankee Stadium. Three years in, and we’re still talking about “growth.” In the Bronx. In a pennant race. That’s not how this usually works.

And now he’s addressing the boos.

“I know people really care. I want them to react,” Volpe told NJ.com’s Bob Klapisch. “Obviously, I want them to cheer for me, but for them not to do so say anything is not what I’d want, either. With the booing, I know I’d be doing the same thing if I was in their shoes. I want them to know I’m doing everything I can to be the best player possible.”

That’s fine. Professional. Measured. But effort is the minimum requirement, not the merit badge. Nobody doubts he’s trying. Fans just want production. This isn’t a science fair — it’s the American League East.

And here’s where it gets interesting.

While Volpe rehabs, the job goes to José Caballero. For the first time since Volpe arrived, shortstop isn’t penciled in with permanent ink. It’s open. Earn it.  If Caballero grabs that opportunity and hits another gear — plays with energy, makes the routine plays, chips in offensively — the Yankees have a real dilemma. You don’t yank a guy who’s producing just to honor a preseason brochure. Or do they?  

At Bleeding Yankee Blue, we’ve been banging the Caballero drum for months. He brings spark. He brings edge. He looks like he understands the assignment. With him out there, the Yankees resemble a team chasing down the AL East. With Volpe, too often it’s felt like they’re trudging through wet cement.

This isn’t personal. It’s performance. It's business.

For four years, shortstop production has been a question mark. If Caballero steps in and thrives, it won’t just be a feel-good story. It’ll be an indictment. It’ll suggest that Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone bet on projection instead of proof.

Volpe was supposed to be the answer.

Caballero is starting to look like the solution.  if Cab thrives and the Yankees still pull him out when Volpe is ready to return, there is definitely a political-favor game going on and my suspicions will be correct.

Play the guy who earns it, Cashman. Don't play favors.

CC MONSTER GETS WHAT HE DESERVES

The Yankees are finally doing what everyone in the Bronx has known was inevitable: they’re putting No. 52 in permanent pinstripes.

On Sept. 26, before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees will retire the number of Hall of Famer CC Sabathia. And honestly? It feels less like an announcement and more like a formality. Of course, 52 was going up. The only surprise is that it didn’t happen five minutes after he walked off the mound for the last time.

Everybody knows I’m a huge CC guy. Not just because of the numbers — though 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts over 19 seasons will do nicely — but because of what he meant. Sabathia wasn’t just an ace. He was the ace. When the Yankees needed someone to grab the rotation by the collar and say, “Follow me,” CC was already laced up.

Let’s not forget 2009. The last time the Yankees actually finished the job and won it all. Sabathia didn’t just contribute — he anchored that staff like a battleship in October. Big games, short rest, hostile environments — didn’t matter. He wanted the ball. He demanded it. That postseason run is stitched into modern Yankee history, and CC’s fingerprints are all over it.

Beyond the mound, his popularity was off the charts. Teammates loved him. Fans adored him. The big lefty with the booming laugh and the bigger heart embraced New York, and New York embraced him right back. He didn’t treat the Yankees like a stop on a résumé. He treated it like a calling. His love for the franchise was obvious — in interviews, in charity work, in the way he carried himself as a leader in that clubhouse. He chose the Bronx, and he meant it.

When the Yankees retire No. 52, Sabathia will become the 25th player honored with a number in Monument Park. The franchise already leads the league in retired numbers — because when you’re the Yankees, you collect legends the way other teams collect bobbleheads.

And CC? He fits right in.

On Sept. 26, 52 goes where it belongs — up high, forever — a reminder of the last championship parade and the big lefty who powered it.

A SOLID SIGNING & WHAT IT MEANS FOR DOMINGUEZ

The Yankees have finally decided that maybe — just maybe — adding a proven right-handed bat to the bench isn’t the worst idea in the world. And honestly? I like this move. It’s smart. It’s practical. It’s the kind of thing they could’ve handled back in December instead of waiting for the baseball equivalent of aisle-cleanup season.

They’ve signed Randal Grichuk to a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp, and that’s exactly the kind of low-risk, common-sense addition this roster needs.

Grichuk, 34, isn’t flashy. He’s not a headline. He’s not going to sell jerseys in Times Square. But what he is? A legitimate right-handed power bat on a team that leans so left-handed it might as well be writing with its off-hand. Against lefties, he owns a career .819 OPS. That’s not theoretical upside — that’s production. He can step in, punish southpaws, and sit down without drama.

Defensively, he brings flexibility. Left field. Right field. In a pinch, center. DH if needed. That’s real insurance, especially when your MVP right fielder — yes, Aaron Judge — has had his share of “please don’t dive for that” moments over the past few seasons.

And then there’s the ripple effect.

If Grichuk looks like his 2024 self, the Yankees suddenly have the freedom to let Jasson Domínguez marinate in Triple-A instead of forcing the kid into the Bronx spotlight before he’s fully cooked. And honestly? That might not be the worst thing. Poor Domínguez. The Yankees hype machine launched him into orbit before he had 200 big league at-bats. Was he overhyped? Maybe. That’s not his fault. That’s what happens when a franchise needs a savior and starts printing the T-shirts early.

Grichuk, meanwhile, is no savior. He’s something rarer in this organization lately — a steady adult in the room. Twelve years in the majors. Knows his role. Knows how to hit lefties. Knows how to show up ready.

Look, I’ve been critical of this front office. Loudly. Frequently. Deservedly. But this? This is a solid move. Depth matters. Balance matters. And adding a veteran who can actually do the job is better than hoping a spreadsheet manifests one.

Let’s see how it plays out. But for once, this feels like a move rooted in baseball logic — not just math.