THE VOLPE SOAP OPERA WILL BLOW UP IN THE YANKEES FACES

Don't forget that Gleyber Torres was not resigned for pretty much refusing to move to third.  More on that in a minute.

Aaron Boone's Anthony Volpe obsession and the fact that the Yankees are all in on a personal relationship with this guy and the team dating back to his high school days has become their biggest problem... and I bet they will regret it.  Why? Cause they're stuck.  

At this point, Aaron Boone doesn't just support Anthony Volpe. He defends him with the kind of unwavering loyalty usually reserved for family members, childhood best friends, or someone holding embarrassing vacation photos. And that's where this story continues.

Because if you took a poll of Yankees fans right now—people who have actually watched every throw into the first-base dugout, every rushed decision, every routine play turned into an adventure—I would bet close to 89% would tell you the same thing:

Anthony Volpe may have been a terrific shortstop in high school. That doesn't automatically make him a Major League shortstop.

Those are two completely different jobs.

Playing shortstop in New York isn't simply about fielding ground balls. It's about handling relentless pressure, surviving daily scrutiny, making split-second decisions under the brightest lights in baseball and proving, every single season, that you belong.

Right now, many fans simply don't believe Volpe does.  but Aaron Boone can't quit Anthony Volpe, and it is my opinion that that is a direct order from our Yankees front office. Boone's a puppet anyway so...

Look, Boone's defense of Volpe has reached a point where it almost feels... personal. Whenever criticism surfaces, Boone appears almost programmed to immediately reassure everyone that Volpe is "really good." No matter what happens on the field. No matter what the numbers say. And that's become part of the frustration.

Because baseball is supposed to be a meritocracy. You earn your job. You keep your job. You lose your job if you suck. That's professional sports. That's life too by the way... that's life if you don't live in a bubble where people and personal relationships are protecting you.

Volpe often feels like the one Yankee playing under an entirely different set of rules.

Jose Caballaro is the better shortstop. We all know this. He's more athletic. He brings more energy. He's quicker. Throws stronger, hits better. Many fans like me believe he simply looks more natural at shortstop. Yet the Yankees continue treating him like he's trapped inside a spreadsheet labeled "UTILITY."

That's the danger of front offices becoming too attached to paperwork. On paper, Caballero is a utility player. On the field, plenty of people believe he's the better defensive shortstop. But organizations can become prisoners of their own evaluations. The Yankees invested years developing Volpe.

They sold him to the fan base. They marketed him. Now admitting someone else might simply be better becomes far more difficult than it should be.

Summer Coaches don't win Major League games. One of the more bizarre developments surrounding Volpe has been the constant reliance on glowing scouting reports from people connected to his youth baseball career. That's wonderful.

It also doesn't matter anymore. This is Major League Baseball and they were wrong. They sold the Yankees front office and us fans a bill of goods. Nobody gets lifetime tenure because they dominated summer tournaments. Every player becomes replaceable the moment they reach the big leagues.

The Yankees don't owe Anthony Volpe a career. Anthony Volpe owes the Yankees production, and he owes us fans an apology for taking the money and not delivering product.

Look, this whole report that Volpe reportedly wasn't interested in moving off shortstop. Whether every detail of that story is accurate almost becomes secondary. Because if a player truly refuses to play another position, professional organizations generally have three choices:

Move him. Bench him. Trade him. OR, in Gleyber Torres's case, don't resign him. 

We all forget that Torres was the coveted one and did actually have solid numbers with the Yankees. But the Yankees asked him to move positions and Torres didn't want to.  And so what happened next?  When his contract was up... they didn't bring him back.  That was a Cashman, Boone decision.  Gleyber Torres had finally found his baseball home at second base after the Yankees' shortstop experiment went sideways. Once he settled in there, he made it pretty clear he wasn't interested in playing musical chairs again. Second was his spot, and as far as he was concerned, that's where he belonged.

The Yankees, meanwhile, kept looking for ways to solve their infield puzzle. As different roster combinations came and went, third base inevitably entered the conversation. There were reports during the 2024 season that the club at least kicked around the idea of sliding Torres across the diamond.

The problem? Torres never seemed to warm to the idea. Learning a new position on the eve of free agency wasn't exactly on his wish list, and he appeared content to plant his flag at second. Whether that ultimately influenced the Yankees' decision is open to debate, but it certainly didn't make fitting the pieces together any easier. Torres is batting .280 with the Tigers this season. Volpe with the Yanks? .240.

But when it comes to Volpe, Boone tried to make it seem like it was a nothing burger, even though we all know it is.  Michael Kay poured gasoline on the story, suggesting Volpe had resisted moving to second.

Fans exploded. Then, almost as quickly, Kay walked much of it back. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe someone reminded Kay that the Yankees also happen to sign his checks. That's my opinion.

But then Aaron Boone tried explaining it. Yup, stupid Boone was left cleaning up the controversy. Except...he really didn't at all. Instead came one of the more impressive word salads you'll hear from a Major League manager:

"He's been our shortstop, and he got hurt and had surgery over the winter. He's coming back, and we really haven't had — until Cabby walked in the door last year — a real competition-based thing there. By the way, he's been a damn good shortstop. I hate to break it to everyone, but that still is real. Has he had his struggles? Sure. But he's also played really well out there in some long stretches defensively."

Translation? Volpe was the shortstop because...Volpe was already the shortstop. Competition? Not really. Boone acknowledged Caballero existed, then immediately circled back to telling everyone Volpe has been "a damn good shortstop", which we all know is a lie.

That's become the organization's default setting. Every criticism. Every mistake. Every rough stretch. Every defensive lapse. The response is always the same. "We still believe."

Fine.

But eventually belief has to intersect with reality. And here it is, AGAIN. The Yankees wanted the next Derek Jeter. The Yankees weren't simply looking for another shortstop. A homegrown kid. A New Jersey native. Clean-cut. Easy to market. Nice face. Future captain, and oh yeah, maybe there's a personal connection to the family which will make it all so much easier.

Anthony Volpe checked every box. In my opinion, the Yankees fell in love with the story before they finished evaluating the player. Once that happens, objectivity becomes incredibly difficult. Weaknesses become "development." Mistakes become "growing pains." Poor stretches become "learning experiences." Everyone else competes. The chosen one develops.

It is the relationship that no one wants to discuss. The uncomfortable conversation almost nobody wants to have.

Volpe's rise through the organization has long been intertwined with relationships involving influential Yankees evaluators who knew him long before he became a professional player. Nobody is accusing anyone of criminal wrongdoing. But personal relationships and emotional investment absolutely have the potential to cloud objective judgment.

That's true in every business. Why would baseball be any different? If Volpe were simply another prospect without those relationships... Would he have been promoted this aggressively? Would his offensive struggles have been tolerated this long? Would every mistake be explained away?

Those are fair questions.

They're also questions very few people have the balls to ask. But here's the bottom line, this Volpe experiment failed and the Yankees have a mess on their hands. They're emotionally invested in proving themselves right instead of honestly evaluating what's in front of them.

That's dangerous. Read  HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT for more.  

Look, organizations that become obsessed with proving past decisions correct often ignore present reality. Many fans now believe that's exactly what's happening. Boone continues defending Volpe. The front office continues defending Volpe. The marketing machine continues defending Volpe.

Meanwhile, fans keep watching the same shitty movie. The bottom line? You need to hold the Yankees accountable. This entire experiment has blown up in the Yankees' faces. Instead of admitting mistakes, they continue protecting the investment. Fans deserve better.

Merit should matter more than narrative. Performance should matter more than friendships. Results should matter more than reputation. In my opinion, Anthony Volpe is not the answer at shortstop for the New York Yankees.

The Yankees desperately wanted the next Derek Jeter. Instead, they've spent years forcing a script that many fans no longer believe. And I truly wonder if the Yankees are regretting every minute of this, because whether you believe it or not, it is a true mess.  The Bronx franchise is crumbling because of a high schooler who infultrated a major league park because mommy and daddy knew the high school summer coach.  It's an absolute travesty and disgusting.  

Mark my words, the Yankees will not win another championship under this front office, GM and manager because they are doing their job wrong.   And until this organization starts rewarding performance over loyalty, the controversy isn't going away.

Neither is the frustration.  

YANKEES PLAY LIKE GARBAGE WHILE BOONE CLINGS TO "BELIEVE & HOPE" FOR VOLPE

Before we get into this shit show, let me state for the record that the Yankees let Gleyber Torres walk and he's had quite a production season for the Tigers. It's refreshing. He bet on himself, took the one year deal with Detroit and he will have a wonderful offseason because he proved to Major League baseball that he can still play. Meanwhile the geeks in the Yankees "analytics" back room wanted him off the Yankee roster last year because they saw no future in Torres projections.  

But what those numbers do not tell you is that heart and guts play a major role in a major league player.  And they picked wrong.

Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe is at this point the worst shortstop in the league, due to errors... do to him just sucking the life out of the Yankees lineup with zeroes on the board every night.  Last night was another example. And if you look at say, the comparison of hitting between Torres and Volpe, Torres was quite productive.  Volpe? I mean, my mom might have done a better job... at least worked a walk. 

What are we doing here Aaron Boone? Why are you obsessed with this kid? Does he remind you of him? Is Michael Volpe you golfing buddy? Are you in love with him? Serious questions here, because I have to tell you, when you are playing for a playoff spot, you put the best guys on the field. You're not and rolling out Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe night after night is just Loserville.

Boone says the Yankees “believe and hope” Anthony Volpe’s best days are ahead — preferably now, as the team claws for October baseball. Cute. The problem? We’ve been “believing and hoping” since April. It hasn’t worked. At all.

This isn’t about injuries or bad luck. This is about Boone. He picks wrong. Constantly. He manages like a guy rolling dice in a dark room, then spends half his energy arguing balls and strikes he knows won’t get overturned. It’s leadership theater — and the Yankees are paying for front-row seats.

And now, on September 10th, the grand strategy is to… keep “believing and hoping” Volpe figures it out? That’s not a plan; that’s wishful thinking disguised as management. Bench him. Yesterday. This is a great tweet by the way. Those numbers? Those are numbers of a high schooler playing in the major leagues, folks. The kid sucks. 

Give Jose Caballero the keys to shortstop and walk away slowly. The guy’s got a ton of innings already at short, owns four defensive runs saved, nine outs above average, and, newsflash, he actually knows what to do with a baseball when it comes his way. Even on an off night at the plate, Caballero can still get on base, create chaos, and score runs. That’s called production.

Volpe? He gives away outs like Halloween candy. It’s painful. It’s predictable. And it’s killing this team. Boone’s refusal to make the obvious move isn’t just frustrating — it’s flat-out embarrassing.

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been yelling about this for six weeks. It’s obvious. Caballero should be the everyday shortstop. Everything else is Boone’s ego talking, and right now, the Yankees can’t afford his bad choices.

Do you want me to make this even sharper and more sarcastic — like a rant that sounds fed up with Boone and the front office? It could hit harder, trust me.

And last night's game? A disaster.  As of right now the Yankees are 3 games out of the lead in the American League East. In the Wild Card, which is like 3rd place closer, we are clinging to a lead that we could pretty much lose if we have a bad series to the Tigers and Red Sox next.  But year, let's "believe and hope" Boone, you fucking idiot. How about manage?

The game, if you can even call it that — it was more like a live demonstration of how to burn down a season in one inning. Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. managed to give up nine runs without recording a single out in what has to be one of the most humiliating seventh innings Yankee Stadium has ever witnessed. Tigers 12, Yankees 2. On a crisp night in the Bronx, the only thing colder than the bats was Aaron Boone’s brain.

Cruz and Leiter’s stat line looked like a drunk Little League scrimmage: four walks, four hits, one hit batter, one wild pitch, 36 pitches thrown… only 14 for strikes. That’s not pitching — that’s performance art.

And then here comes Aaron Boone, Mister “Everything’s Fine,” delivering another one of his canned sermons:

“Tonight’s a tough night, but it doesn’t change a lot of the good things that have happened in some of these games…”

Stop. Talking.

Boone, fans don’t care about the “good things" yesterday. You don’t get credit for showing up to work and doing your job occasionally. Yankees fans expect this team to be good all the time. That’s the standard. But instead, we get chaos, inconsistency, and empty platitudes from a manager who treats every meltdown like a minor inconvenience.

And don’t even start with the “it’s on the players” narrative. No. This disaster starts at the top. Boone, Brian Cashman, and Michael Fishman are steering this Titanic into an iceberg at full speed. Boone can’t manage a bullpen. Cashman’s roster construction is a joke. Fishman… honestly, what does he even do? And HAL STEINBRENNER? The man’s somewhere on a yacht pretending this team isn’t unraveling like a cheap sweater.

This isn’t “bad luck.” This is bad leadership. The Yankees are playing panic baseball because the people in charge have no plan, no vision, and apparently no accountability. We’re stuck in “catchup mode,” but time’s running out, and Boone’s strategy is basically “close your eyes and hope for the best.”

Hal, where are you? Boone, pack a bag. Cashman, start updating your résumé. The fans deserve better than this clown show.

GET IT TOGETHER.

AROLDIS CHAPMAN IS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE YANKS GIVING UP ON THEIR GUYS

I keep coming back to one question: why did the Yankees give up on Aroldis Chapman so fast? Sure, the guy had his rough stretches in pinstripes, but let’s not kid ourselves—Chapman was a force. A tough competitor, a fireballer with a presence few relievers in baseball history could match. Not a Devin Williams, not a David Bednar—Chapman was better. And yet, the Yankees couldn’t wait to show him the door.

Yes, there was the 2016 suspension, a messy chapter in his career. A girlfriend accused him of choking her and firing off shots in his garage. Prosecutors dropped the charges for lack of evidence, though Chapman admitted to the gunfire (which, let’s face it, was reckless but not exactly the same as the headline-grabbing allegations). MLB still dropped the hammer with a suspension—more about Rob Manfred flexing faux authority than proven wrongdoing. That was the start of the Yankees distancing themselves. They didn’t want to deal with the bad PR, so they quietly framed him as a headache and moved on.

And yet, George Steinbrenner once made second chances a cornerstone of his Yankees. Doc Gooden. Darryl Strawberry. Guys with real demons, who George embraced and who rewarded him with production and redemption arcs. Chapman and Hal Steinbrenner? Chapman didn’t get the same grace. Instead, the Yankees basically shrugged and said, “Go scratch.” Eventually, Chapman felt disrespected, and the marriage fell apart.

Now? The guy’s still shoving 100 MPH fastballs past hitters. He’s bounced around—won a title with Texas, now thriving with Boston of all teams. The Red Sox signed him, liked what they saw, and just extended him. They’re paying him $13.3 million next year with an option for 2027. Meanwhile, Yankee fans are watching him close games at Fenway while our bullpen situation looks like a coin flip. That’s not irony—that’s organizational malpractice.

And here’s where it burns: this isn’t just about Chapman. This is a pattern. The Yankees always seem to cut bait too quickly. Caleb Durbin? Gone. Now thriving in Milwaukee in their infield. Gleyber Torres? He’s torching pitchers in Detroit while we cycled through second basemen like they were scratch-off lottery tickets. At third base, we finally land Ryan McMahon—.217 hitter, hardly terrifying. And in the bullpen? Don’t get me started. They already had Luke Weaver proving himself, but Cashman couldn’t help himself—he had to overcomplicate things by bringing in Devin Williams, who has been, frankly, a disaster in pinstripes.

The truth is the Yankees operate from a place of confusion. They panic, they shuffle, they tinker, and they give up on their own too soon. Chapman is the poster child for this mess. The Red Sox gambled and are laughing their way to wins. The Yankees? They’re juggling four guys for the closer role and still can’t decide who should pitch the ninth. That’s not strategy—that’s indecision.

Yes, the Yankees are on a seven-game winning streak right now. That’s nice. But when October rolls around and the margins shrink, fans won’t forget how badly this team manages talent. And if the postseason ends early, maybe—just maybe—it’s time the Yankees give up on Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone the way they’ve been so quick to give up on everyone else.

Because let’s be clear: Aroldis Chapman is still out there blowing hitters away. The Yankees are still out there pretending like they’ve got a plan. And us fans? We see right through it.

TELL ME THE YANKEES ARE OK & I'LL TELL YOU YOU'RE WRONG

Let’s cut the crap: if you can’t beat the Mets, the alarm bells should be deafening.

But for the Yankees, the sirens have been wailing for years—and somehow, the people in charge are either deaf, in denial, or just straight-up dumb. At this point, Aaron Boone should be managing a buffet line, not a Major League Baseball team. The Yankees cannot win with him. Period. End of story. I have been writing this, not for months, but for YEARS. 

We’ve said it a hundred times here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, and we’ll say it a hundred more if we have to—Boone is not a leader. He’s a yes-man with a clipboard. The dude manages like he’s picking random names out of a hat. Every game feels like a blindfolded dart throw: bad bullpen choices, baffling lineup cards, zero feel for the moment. And now, the team is free-falling while Boone sits in the dugout with the same tired expression he’s had since 2018—completely clueless.

Need proof? Let’s talk Anthony Volpe for the 15th time.

The golden boy. The so-called spark. The kid who was supposed to change the franchise. Well, let’s just say the spark never lit. As of July 4, 2025, Anthony Volpe has left 152 runners in scoring position. One-hundred-and-fifty-two! That’s not bad luck—that’s statistical malpractice. He’s officially the worst in all of Major League Baseball in that category. And yet, there he is, day after day, still trotting out of the dugout like nothing's wrong.

Boone keeps penciling him in the lineup like we’re all supposed to pretend this isn’t a massive issue. But it is. It’s killing the Yankees. You can’t have a black hole in the middle of your lineup every game and expect to win in the American League East. But hey, don’t blame Volpe entirely—blame the guys keeping him in the lineup.

And that brings us to Brian Cashman.

The so-called architect of the Yankee Empire has been building with toothpicks and Elmer’s glue for a while now. The Yankees just got swept by the Blue Jays, fell out of first place, and look absolutely lifeless. That’s not all on Boone—it’s on the guy who built this roster.

Cashman assembled this mess, held onto dead weight, passed on real talent, and doubled down on mediocrity. And then he had the nerve—the actual gall—to go on record in 2023 saying Volpe would “break out” offensively in the years to come. That aged like shit.

It’s 2025. We're still waiting. And instead of a breakout, we got a full-blown breakdown. TALK ABOUT STUPID.

And while we’re on the topic of roster mismanagement, let’s revisit Gleyber Torres.

Cashman botched that one too. Let him walk out the door, burned the bridge, and now acts like the team’s better without him. Spoiler alert: they’re not. Torres was never a Gold Glover, sure—but he could hit. And in a lineup this flat, that matters. Torres took the high road when asked about his former team. Good for him. We won’t.

We at Bleeding Yankee Blue have been screaming about this for years while other media outlets just shrug their shoulders. Why? Simple. Access. They don’t want to lose their credentials. They want their clubhouse quotes, their player podcasts, and their press box seats. So they stay quiet. They call it a “rough patch.” They say the team is “struggling.” Struggling? No. The Yankees are flat-out awful—and it’s leadership, stupid. Jomboy Media? MLB.com? Even the bigger beat guys? They won’t touch this with a ten-foot pole. Because going hard on Boone or Cashman risks a phone call from the top. So instead, they sugarcoat it. “They’re grinding.” “It’s just a phase.”

Give us a break.

Clarke Schmidt knows the truth. His recent comments basically screamed it without saying it: “We're in the thick of it… every year, around June and July, we kind of grind a little bit.” Translation? Same old Yankees. Same old collapse. And it starts at the top.

Boone can’t rally this team. He never could. And Cashman? He’s lost his fastball and refuses to admit it.

Until this organization wakes up and makes real changes—**firing Boone, holding Cashman accountable, building a real roster instead of praying on prospects and worn-out veterans—**this team is going nowhere. Not to the playoffs, not to a World Series, and sure as hell not to a championship.

We don’t care who gets mad. We don’t care who calls us “too harsh.” The Yankees are broken. And we’re not gonna sit back and write fluff pieces while the house burns down.

Boone’s gotta go.
Cashman’s time is up.
And if you can’t see that, you’re part of the problem.

GLEYBER TORRES JUST MADE THE YANKEES REGRET LETTING HIM WALK

 

Nice work, Yanks.

Let’s talk about how the Yankees turned a self-inflicted wound into a gaping, infected mess. It started when they let Gleyber Torres walk out of the Bronx like he was some expendable piece of scrap metal instead of, oh I don’t know, their most consistent infielder in years.

Now? Gleyber’s batting .280 with 9 homers and 43 RBIs in 73 games for the Detroit Tigers. He bet on himself, signed a one-year deal, and spoiler alert—he's cashing in. The man is an All-Star this season. And the Yankees? They’re out here auditioning warm bodies at second base like it’s some tragic Broadway flop.

Let’s rewind, though. Gleyber was a fan favorite. He loved New York. The fans loved him. What didn’t the Yankees love? His defense. Sure, he booted a few balls, but last year the team treated every little misstep like it was a federal offense. He was under a microscope while others—cough Volpe cough—skated by with error after error. Volpe leads the league with 11 so far. I thought he was elite? But yeah, Gleyber’s defense was the real issue. Give me a break.

The way the Yankees handled this is shameful. They iced Gleyber out, gave him no real support, and then acted shocked when he decided to bet on himself elsewhere. Meanwhile, they’re still stuck holding open auditions for a second baseman in July. July! This was a glaring need in March. And what did they do about it? Absolutely nothing.

And here's the kicker: Torres didn’t just go off and quietly prove people wrong—he’s the starting second baseman in this year’s All-Star Game. That’s called vindication, and it’s gotta feel so damn good for him. He gets to shove it right back in the Yankees’ face with that sweet All-Star selection. You reap what you sow, and right now the Yankees are reaping a whole lot of infield chaos.

Trying to upgrade from Gleyber Torres is one thing—but torching the bridge entirely and pretending a reunion was off the table, even after it became painfully obvious, he was still the best option at second? That’s not strategy, that’s self-sabotage. And the fact that Cashman didn’t urgently address a glaring hole in the infield? It’s baffling, lazy, and reeks of arrogance.

The bottom line is Cashman is probably very complacent at this point. And Aaron Boone? He's just stupid with no true feel for the game.

CLUELESS BOONE & THE QUEST TO BE INCOMPETENT

Remember March 31, 2025? Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa said it plain as day: THE YANKEES HAVE A BIG PROBLEM IN THE INFIELD. And what did the Yankees do? Not a damn thing. Actually, scratch that—they made it worse.

They let Gleyber Torres walk (for nothing), propped up Anthony Volpe at shortstop like he’s Ozzie Smith when in reality he’s leading the entire American League in errors, and then, for their latest act of baseball malpractice, they shoved Jazz Chisholm Jr.—a SECOND BASEMAN—over to third base like this is some kind of summer camp positional experiment.

Now it’s July 2, and the Yankees’ infield is still a mess. Shocker. Aaron Boone is out here defending Volpe’s avalanche of errors as “aggressive mistakes” the other night, but then turns around and throws Jazz under the bus for an error he made at a position he doesn’t even play. Make it make sense.

Boone’s quote-unquote defense of Volpe and criticism of Chisholm is the kind of clueless double standard that has defined his entire tenure in the Bronx. And let’s not forget: Jazz Chisholm said it himself, loud and clear—“Everybody knows I’m a second baseman.” Yeah, Jazz. Everybody except the New York Yankees.

And guess what? Jazz is still at third in today’s lineup. Because nothing says "we're trying to win" like continuing to play a guy out of position while DJ LeMahieu—36, declining, and being babied like he’s royalty—is locked in at second because he’s “more comfortable” there and Boone doesn't want him to get hurt again. Do I know that for a fact? No, but what I do know is that there is a lot of money locked up in DJ, and they are going to get every ounce of him on the field they can.  That my friends IS a fact and Boone is being told to do that.

This is what we’re doing now? Basing defensive alignments on comfort levels instead of logic, talent, or, I don’t know, competence? DJ LeMahieu is no longer the Gold Glove vacuum cleaner he used to be. He should be at third. But here come the Yankees, protecting contracts and aging vets at the expense of...winning baseball games.

Let’s also not pretend Aaron Boone is the only problem. The front office is just as guilty—maybe more so. According to Clint Frazier (who has no reason to lie), Boone doesn’t even write the damn lineup. He said it best:

“I do feel like they hired a few too many rocket scientists to try to like make the lineup, instead of just like letting a former player or a guy that has more experience write the lineup.”

Rocket scientists. That’s what this has come to. Algorithms over instincts. Spread-sheets over soul. Welcome to the era of spreadsheet baseball, where Aaron Boone is the puppet, and the Yankees front office is too arrogant to admit they’ve created a monster with no brain and no guts.

This team is over-managed, over-paid, over-hyped—and underachieving. Every single year. And yet, Aaron Boone is still employed. Why the fuck is Aaron Boone still the Yankees manager? No one seems to have an answer. Not Brian Cashman. Not Hal Steinbrenner. Not the baseball gods. Nobody.

This infield disaster is just a symptom. The real disease? A clueless manager, a gutless front office, and a franchise more concerned with optics than winning. AND THEY MADE THE INFIELD PROBLEM THEMSELVES. Torres is a leader over there in Detroit. Good for him!

Until there's a change, the Yankees aren’t winning a damn thing.

Not with Volpe booting routine grounders at short.
Not with Jazz flailing at third.
Not with DJ being coddled at second.
And definitely not with Boone managing like it’s a beer league softball game.

Enough is enough. Wake the hell up, Yankees.  

By the way, Torres is batting .284 with 9 homers, 43 RBIs and an OPS of .823. Cashman's a moron.

I'D LOVE IKF BACK! BUT WOULD HE WANT TO COME BACK?

My guy Isiah Kiner-Falefa — the ultimate utility player. The duct tape of a baseball roster. Currently manning shortstop duties for the Pirates, IKF is once again floating into the trade rumor mill, and wouldn’t you know it? The Yankees are lurking like an old flame scrolling through your Instagram stories. I kid, I kid... you don't have an ex-girlfriend.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, both the Giants and the Yankees are “keeping a close eye” on the 30-year-old infielder as we approach the MLB trade deadline. Why? Well, his contract is expiring, he’s affordable, and frankly, he’s exactly the kind of guy a team wants on its roster — versatile, low-maintenance, and not allergic to hard work.

Now, look. I’ll admit something here that I know not every Yankee fan will agree with: I liked IKF. There, I said it. When he was with the Yankees, he was a gamer. Played wherever they told him, kept his mouth shut, hustled his tail off, and smiled through what amounted to a thankless role. You needed a shortstop? IKF. Someone to fill in at third? IKF. A little outfield sprinkle? Yep, IKF. You needed someone to sit quietly while the organization drooled over Anthony Volpe like he was Jeter 2.0? IKF did that too.

But here’s the real kicker — he was set up to fail at shortstop. The Yankees sold us this dream that he’d lock it down like a young Andrelton Simmons. Instead, when mistakes happened (as they tend to in baseball), he became the scapegoat. It was Gleyber Torres 2.0: yank a guy out of his natural position, watch the errors pile up, then blame him for being human. Meanwhile, Volpe and Wells? Teflon. Mistake? “He’s learning.” Slump? “He’s maturing.” Strikeout with the bases loaded? “The analytics like his swing path.”

IKF didn’t get that kind of grace. He got the cold shoulder, the hot seat, and eventually, the exit.

And now the Yankees might want him back? I don’t know, man. If I’m IKF, I might just tell them to go kick rocks. Or better yet — send them a nice thank-you card with no return address.

Still, the rumors are swirling, and IKF could plug several holes for the Bombers. He’s hitting a not-so-sexy .216  and he’s proven he can handle pretty much any position not called “pitcher.”

The Yankees are doing a lot of things right this year. They’re winning games, their rotation’s been surprisingly durable, and Aaron Judge is once again reminding everyone he is, in fact, a baseball god. But they could use a guy like IKF — someone who can cover a lot of ground and doesn’t need a five-game hitting streak to keep his name on the lineup card.

So here we are. Could a reunion happen? Sure. Should it? Maybe. But if it does, let’s just hope this time around the Yankees give him the respect he deserves — and maybe don’t throw him to the wolves just because the golden boy is “still developing.”

IKF doesn’t need the Yankees. But the Yankees might just need him. Stay tuned.

ANTHONY VOLPE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED

Fantastic article about the future of Anthony Volpe in pinstripes, or should I say the end of him in pinstripes.

If you haven't figured it out, I am over Volpe.  He's not a major leaguer and he was rushed up with the hope that the Yankee fans would welcome him with open arms in the hopes to mask the bigger problem... the Yankees need a real shortstop... someone that went through the proper ranks to eventually perform at the highest level to play in the major leagues. Not a kid from high school with no college experience all because his old man knew some people in the Yankee organization.  

This whole Volpe experiment has gone horribly wrong, and it really does go back to what Clint Frazier said yesterday on the Foul Territory podcast... "“I do feel like they hired a few too many rocket scientists to try to like make the lineup.”

That is all you need to know about how this all works in Yankeeland and why Anthony Volpe, or even worse, Austin Wells is in the lineup every day. It's not the eye test. It's analytics from college or high school with the idea that the player "can develop" or he could "become better" over time.  It's all bullshit. Many times, you need gut and feel to make a hard choice on who should be out there every day.  Volpe should not be, and now an article written predicting soon (and I hope within the next year), Anthony Volpe will be sitting every day.  Why? Because George Lombard Jr. is just better, plain and simple.

Heavy.com writes:  "Volpe, who the Yankees were hoping would be one of the better players on their roster when he debuted, just hasn’t shown enough in Major League Baseball. He won a Gold Glove award in 2023, but even his defense has taken a hit at times.

Some believe the Yankees could eventually replace him with George Lombard Jr., while others believe the Yankees will look to add another shortstop in the draft, who could eventually come up and take Volpe’s spot, or move over to second if Lombard pans out. "

Let’s be honest: the Yankees’ front office wouldn’t recognize talent if it sat next to them on the 4 train wearing pinstripes and a name tag that said, “Hi, I’m a future All-Star.” Their personnel decisions lately feel like they’ve been made by flipping a dusty binder of 2017 analytics and closing their eyes. And while they’re busy patting themselves on the back for being ahead of the curve, the rest of baseball is lapping them.

Take Gleyber Torres. Remember him? The kid was accused of not figuring it out. Well, now he’s not just surviving in Detroit—he’s thriving. He’s the Motor City Monarch. King Gleyber of Comerica. Meanwhile, Yankees fans are stuck watching a lineup that too often looks like a group project gone horribly wrong.

Anthony Volpe. Look, the kid tries hard. He’s got a baby face and the hustle of someone who’s afraid to lose his job—which, frankly, he should be. But let’s call it what it is: Volpe looks like a little leaguer who accidentally wandered into Yankee Stadium. This isn’t about “growing pains” or “high upside.” It’s about performance. And if he can’t hit, can’t field consistently, and can’t carry the weight of being a shortstop in New York, then the Yankees need to stop pretending otherwise.

They could turn to a guy like George Lombard Jr., who at least looks the part of a smoother, more complete player. Or maybe, just maybe, they could explore the radical idea of signing an actual star shortstop in free agency. But that would mean admitting their golden child isn’t gold—it’s fool’s gold.

And of course, the Yankees don’t love to admit when they’re wrong. Their egos are practically on the payroll. But unless Volpe turns it around—and fast—he’s going to have to pack his bags and find a smaller ballpark to grow up in. Maybe Pittsburgh. Maybe Colorado. Somewhere with less pressure and fewer eyes watching every booted grounder.

Bottom line: Volpe isn’t a major leaguer, like, AT ALL. And the Yankees, with their stubborn loyalty and broken compass, are once again showing they don’t know how to build a roster. 

They let Gleyber go, they cling to Volpe, and they continue to live in the past. It’s 2025. Time to act like it. I thought we were going to put the best players on the field every day, Boone? You're not!

THE YANKEES SHOULD HAVE NEVER LET GLEYBER TORRES WALK

As the head honcho here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, allow me to humbly report that I was right. The New York Yankees should not have given up on Gleyber Torres. Period. End of story. Send the apologies in writing, Cashman.

Remember all that noise from the front office, the stat-heads, and the Volpe fan club about how Gleyber was expendable? That he didn’t “hustle enough”? That we had “better infield options”? Yeah, how’s that working out?

Let’s check in on our infield in 2025:

• Jorbit Vivas? Ghosted.

• Oswald Peraza? Still finding his way, when he's allowed to play.

• Oswaldo Cabrera? Sitting on the IL after his ankle turned into confetti.

• Jazz Chisholm? Playing out of position again because Boone doesn’t know how to manage a Little League lineup, let alone a Major League one.

Meanwhile, Gleyber Torres is over in Detroit grinding. And I mean grinding. In his first 54 games as a Tiger, he's rocking a .269 avg, five homers, 30 RBIs, and a sparkling 122 OPS+. That’s not just decent—it’s solid, reliable, postseason-bound baseball. He’s not just thriving; he’s thriving without the pressure of being micromanaged by Aaron Boone and benched because he’s not the golden child.

Look, maybe it was Brian Cashman who decided Torres had worn out his welcome. Or maybe it was Boone, who seems to favor guys with nice smiles and empty stat lines over legit talent. Gleyber wasn’t a clubhouse pet. He stood his ground and I respected that about him. He knew he belonged. And that made him expendable in the eyes of this front office, which continues to mistake "youth movement" for "chaotic infield roulette."

And the funniest part? The Detroit Tigers might actually go deep into the playoffs this year. That’s right—Detroit. While the Yankees are once again sleepwalking their way through Boone’s playbook of bullpen misfires and seventh-inning meltdowns.

Gleyber Torres will get the last laugh.
And guess what?
So will Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Because we told you so.

ANOTHER FORMER CUB PROSPECT TOUTED AS YANKEES FUTURE...

Once upon a trade deadline in 2016, the Yankees got the better end of a rental deal with the Cubs. You remember the swap—Aroldis Chapman goes to Chicago to help them break a 108-year curse, and the Yankees get a sweet little return package headlined by Gleyber Torres, who was MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 prospect and the toast of the Cubs' farm system.

Torres came in hot, shined like a diamond, and even made a couple of All-Star Games. Then the Yankees did what they often do with young talent: they micromanaged, underappreciated, and slowly but surely grew tired of him. Fast forward to now? Torres is gone, thriving elsewhere, and the Yankees are once again kicking the tires on another former Cub. Meet Brennen Davis—please don't mess this one up.

Let’s talk about Davis. Once billed as the future face of the Cubs' outfield, Davis was a second-round pick in 2018 who cashed in a $1.1 million bonus instead of going to the University of Miami. By 2021, he looked like a franchise-altering talent—slugging .494 across three levels, knocking 19 dingers, and taking home MVP honors at the All-Star Futures Game. Every major outlet had him as a top-30 prospect going into 2022.

Then came the injury parade: a knee contusion, followed by back surgery. Davis’s bat cooled, his star dimmed, and the Cubs—ever so patient—DFA’d him this past November. The Yankees, never ones to resist a high-upside reclamation project (especially if it once wore Cubbie blue), scooped him up on a minor league deal in December.

And guess what? Davis is hitting again.

After an impressive showing in Double-A Somerset—two homers in eight games, .890 OPS—the Yankees just promoted him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This isn’t just a guy filling a roster spot. This is someone who, if healthy, still has major-league tools and upside.

Let’s spell it out: Davis is a right-handed outfielder, he's still just 24, and while he’s been derailed by injuries, he hasn’t lost that spark scouts once drooled over. The Yankees clearly see something. So do I. But we’ve all read this story before.

It’s the Gleyber Effect. The Yankees hype you up, tease you with potential, then toss you aside when you don’t turn into Derek Jeter overnight. Meanwhile, they’re still writing love songs about Anthony Volpe, who’s built more of a reputation on marketing and moisturizer than onfield consistency.

Here’s the concern: Davis puts it together, gets a cup of coffee in the Bronx, and the minute he hits a cold streak or tweaks a hamstring, the Yankees send him down, bury him on the bench, or flip him for a bullpen arm and a bag of Double Bubble. The cycle continues.

But this time, maybe they get it right. Maybe Davis finds his groove, stays on the field, and reminds everyone why he was once the best-kept secret in baseball. Maybe the Yankees stop treating prospects like TikTok trends and actually commit to letting this one develop.

So yeah, I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m rooting for Brennen Davis—not just because he deserves a fair shot, but because it’d be nice to see the Yankees learn from their own mistakes. They had something special in Gleyber once, and they let that flame die.

Here’s to hoping they don’t ghost Brennen Davis, too.

GLEYBER TORRES IS THRIVING, Y'ALL

Gleyber Torres bet on himself — and it’s paying off like a loaded slot machine in Vegas. Meanwhile, back in the Bronx, Aaron Boone is too busy braiding friendship bracelets for Anthony Volpe to notice the giant infield-sized hole he helped create. For the longest time this season the infield has been a mess between juggling 2nd base and 3rd. 

Meanwhile for Torres, he's now firmly planted in the heart of the Detroit Tigers’ lineup, is hitting a clean .275 with a .795 OPS and five homers — and those numbers might actually understate how good he’s been. His expected batting average? A gaudy .301, good for the 91st percentile in MLB. Translation: if baseballs had slightly better manners, Torres would be raking even more. That’s not luck — that’s skill plus patience, the kind you develop when you're trying to prove everyone wrong.

The best part? He's matured. He’s owning his shortcomings, working to improve, and not blaming the shadows or a pebble in the grass. At 28, he’s got time and motivation. That's what you get when you believe in a player.

Too bad the Yankees didn’t.

Instead of backing a proven bat like Torres, Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman effectively handed Gleyber a MetroCard and told him to swipe out. And for what? So, he could glue DJ LeMahieu’s creaky knees to second base, juggle Peraza around the diamond and continue his daily devotional to Anthony Volpe — a man who’s still searching for a consistent bat and, let’s be honest, looks like he should be in Double-A biology class, not playing shortstop for the Yankees.

Oh, and one more thing: the Tigers — yes, those Tigers — are 2.5 games ahead of the Yankees in the standings. Much of that has to do with Torres. That's not just salt in the wound. That’s an entire salt truck backing over the infield.

So here we are... Gleyber is thriving, Detroit is smiling, and Yankees fans are left wondering why the Yankees decided to give up on a 28-year-old with pop, guts, and upside, just so he could keep playing infield musical chairs with guys who are either past their prime or still figuring out which cleat goes on which foot.

GLEYBER TORRES IS ON FIRE!

Monica Bradburn/MLB Photos via Getty Images

You all know how much I’ve always rooted for Gleyber Torres. And you all definitely know how I’ve always felt the Yankees treated him like the kid who showed up to a birthday party without a gift—tolerated, but not exactly welcomed. While the "favorites" got gold stars just for breathing, Gleyber had to practically walk on water to get a solid acknowledgment.

So, what did he do? He packed his bags, found a team that actually wanted him, and now he’s thriving like a cactus in the desert—except with way more hits. AJ Hinch seems to know what he's doing, and Gleyber looks like he’s finally got a manager who doesn't treat him like a temporary intern. The dude looks happy. And productive. Which is wild, right?

One of the biggest sparks in the Tigers’ 2025 revival? Gleyber Torres, of course. The two-time All-Star second baseman—and former Yankee, in case you forgot—has been a revelation. Plate discipline? Rebooted. Efficiency? Through the roof. Swag? Intact.

But let’s not pretend this came out of nowhere. In the 2024 postseason—remember that?—Torres was a machine. He hit .292 with a .933 OPS and somehow managed to reach base a franchise-record seven times in the first inning alone. While Aaron Judge was doing his best statue impression, Gleyber was busy getting on base and giving the team a chance. Boone couldn’t manage his way out of a paper bag, but somehow that was Gleyber’s fault?

So what did the Yankees do? Naturally, they looked at this productive, still-young, playoff-proven infielder and said, “Eh. Not enough dingers.” Brilliant. Front-office genius at work.

Meanwhile in Detroit, Gleyber’s the guy. A clubhouse leader. A spark plug. And oh yeah, he’s raking. He signed a one-year deal, bet on himself, and right now, he’s cashing in on that bet with style.

As a fan, nothing would make me happier than to see him make the All-Star team, carry the Tigers into October, and maybe even fire off a subtle wink toward the Bronx while he’s at it. Because if anyone deserves a shot to prove the Yankees wrong, it’s Gleyber Torres.

RICE TAKING PRACTICE GROUNDERS AT 3RD IS AN INDICATION THEY DON'T WANT PERAZA

Say what you will about Aaron Boone and his never-ending quest to gaslight Yankees fans, but telling us not to “read into” Ben Rice fielding grounders at third base is a special kind of condescending. According to Boone, it was “just for fun.” You know, like when your boss starts training your co-worker on your tasks “just in case” and tells you not to worry about it. Totally normal. Nothing to see here.

Except, of course, there is plenty to see here—starting with the blatant disregard for Oswald Peraza’s place in the Yankees’ future. Which is to say: apparently, there is none.

The scene unfolded over four hours before the finale of the Subway Series yesterday. The infield at Yankee Stadium was quiet, except for one odd sight: Ben Rice and backup catcher J.C. Escarra taking ground balls at third base from infield coach Travis Chapman. Peraza? Nowhere near the hot corner in their practice circle. Not invited to the party I guess. Probably off somewhere wondering what else he has to do to be taken seriously by an organization that treats him like a broken toy.

Let’s be honest here. The Yankees want Peraza to be good—but only in a very specific, highly unreasonable way. He needs to be perfect. There’s no grace period, no real opportunity to get comfortable, no consistent at-bats. And now, instead of developing him, they're rolling out a first baseman/catcher hybrid for reps at third base and spinning it as a goof. A laugh. A quirky little drill. Just “fun.”

It’s insulting.

Peraza is an elite defender. Everyone knows that. His glove should have earned him a spot. But his bat? That’s what the Yankees cling to when they need an excuse. “He’s not hitting enough,” they say. Of course he’s not. He gets jerked around like a yo-yo, never given real runway to grow. If the Yankees were truly invested in Peraza’s development, they would have done it two years ago when they handed Anthony Volpe the shortstop job. Instead, they turned Peraza into Volpe’s competition, then discarded him when Volpe “won.” Since then, Peraza has been treated like a spare part—always good enough to fill a hole, never good enough to be the plan.

Sound familiar? It should. Just ask Gleyber Torres. He had to be perfect too. And when he wasn’t, he got scapegoated, packed off to Detroit, and surprise—he thrived. Maybe it wasn’t Gleyber all along. Maybe it’s just the Yankees and their deeply flawed idea of development.

And now here we are, watching Ben Rice—who, to be clear, has never played third base in a professional game—get surprise reps at the hot corner. Just “for fun,” they tell us. Just “exploring options.” Look, it’s fine to want flexibility on the depth chart, but let’s not pretend we don’t see what’s happening here. The writing is on the wall for Peraza, and it’s written in all caps: YOU’RE NOT PART OF THIS PLAN.

And that’s absolute garbage.

Peraza deserves better. And frankly, it’s hard to take any of this seriously when Aaron Boone—clearly operating as the front office’s ventriloquist dummy—tells us not to read into moves that are obviously, blatantly telegraphing their intentions.

This team doesn’t do subtle well. And it doesn’t do player development well either. So don’t tell us not to question why a catcher is fielding grounders at third base while your best infield defender is collecting dust. Don’t tell us it’s for fun. It’s not fun. It’s stupid. And we’re not stupid enough to buy it.

Stop pretending. Start doing right by the players you’ve failed. Or just be honest and say you’re done with Peraza. At least then we can all stop pretending too.