BOONE GASLIGHTS BECAUSE OF HIS OBSESSION WITH VOLPE... IN MY OPINION

What kind of nonsense is Aaron Boone trying to sell us now? This guy has turned speaking in circles about injuries into an art form. There’s never any clarity, just fog. First, Anthony Volpe went from “promising young shortstop” to “worst player in baseball” faster than a Stanton moonshot. And then—poof!—out of nowhere, the front office quietly dropped the story that Volpe had been nursing a shoulder injury since May. That injury, by the way, had never once been mentioned until fans started ripping Volpe apart. The Yankees then, in my opinion, benched him and slid Jose Caballero into the lineup to stop the bleeding.

Caballero played well (of course), the fans relaxed a little, me included, and then suddenly—like we wouldn’t notice—Volpe reappeared. Problem was, he still stunk. Yet we were told, “Don’t worry, he’s injured.” Putting him back in while still hurt made zero sense, which made the whole thing feel like a cover story—in my opinion.

And now Boone’s spinning another tale—in my opinion. This time it’s Caballero with a “finger issue.” Boone said Caballero’s finger has been bugging him for months, flaring up now and then on swings. Really? Because that same “injured” Caballero went 2-for-5 with a clutch 10th-inning double and raised his OPS to .852 since arriving from Tampa Bay. That’s not an injury, that’s production. I get flare-ups in my fingers too—it’s called arthritis. Caballero is fine. Volpe, meanwhile, is not.

The bottom line is Caballero needs to play, and he knows it. The Yankees, in my opinion, are bending over backward to justify keeping Volpe in the lineup, and it’s absurd. Forget the spin—just look at the numbers. Caballero is hitting .274 with speed, defense, and 14 runs scored in just 36 games. Volpe? He’s sitting on a sad .210/.272/.396 slash line with an AL-worst .962 fielding percentage and a league-leading 19 errors at short. Analytics don’t lie, even if Boone does—in my opinion.

Caballero’s defense is sharper, his bat is hotter, and his energy is contagious. He’s not just filling in; he’s vital to the Yankees’ push. Smart baseball people expect him to start at short when October rolls around, while Volpe might be reduced to a late-inning defensive sub—if you can even call it that given his glove work. I say bench the kid forever.

So, excuse me if I don’t buy a single word Boone says. Forgive me for pointing out that Volpe, in my opinion, is one of the main reasons the Yankees are chasing the division instead of leading it. And yes, go ahead and applaud me for saying Caballero is the spark who might actually help this team steal the AL East. 

It’s going to be tight, but as long as Caballero plays, I really believe the Yankees can take it—in my opinion, of course.