The Yankees’ Dysfunction on Full Display: Cashman vs. Boone Over Volpe’s Struggles

by Felix Pantaleón

The Yankees just can’t get it together. Not on the field, not in the front office, and definitely not behind a microphone. Shortstop Anthony Volpe is officially out for the start of the 2026 season after undergoing arthroscopic labral repair surgery on his left shoulder. You would think everyone in charge would at least agree on how it affected his year, but no. Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone are once again on completely different pages.

Brian Cashman says he is starting to believe that Anthony Volpe’s shoulder injury did in fact impact his play, despite Cashman not thinking so during the season pic.twitter.com/qe33JOkX5M

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Boone said, “I don’t think it was impacting his performance.” Moments later, Cashman said, “I think the injury probably contributed to the performance season that he wound up having more so than we would have thought.” How can two people running the same team have completely opposite takes about their shortstop? It’s embarrassing. This is exactly why Yankee fans are fed up. The mixed messages never end.

Volpe’s season was rough from start to finish. He hit .212 with a .663 OPS and led the league with 19 errors at shortstop. Then came the postseason where he went 1-for-15 with 11 strikeouts in the ALDS against the Blue Jays. Eleven strikeouts. The kid looked lost at the plate and shaky in the field. That’s not what the Yankees hyped up when they called him the next franchise cornerstone.

Yet Cashman and Boone still act like everything is fine. Cashman said, “I believe in the player still. I don’t think the New York stage is too big for him. I think he’s just finding his way.” Finding his way? He’s been here three seasons already. How long does it take to find your way in the Bronx? This isn’t Tampa or Kansas City. It’s New York. You either produce or you get replaced.

Boone tried to spin it into something positive. He said, “Hopefully, when you’re fixing something that’s hurt on the body, it does help performance go to another level.” Boone is always hoping. Always defending. Always trying to talk things into existence. At some point, the Yankees need results, not wishful thinking. The fans are tired of patience being sold as progress.

Volpe won’t be able to swing a bat for four months or dive for six. That means he’s starting 2026 on the injured list, and the excuses have already begun. Boone will say it’s a “slow build-up,” Cashman will say it’s “part of the process,” and Hal Steinbrenner will probably stay silent as usual. It’s the same tired routine that’s dragged this team into mediocrity.

Once again, Boone and Cashman are not on the same page. They talk like two people trying to lead the same team with different maps. Until there’s one voice, one message, and one vision, the Yankees will keep going in circles. Fans deserve better. The Bronx deserves better. But it feels like this organization forgot what accountability even looks like.