Bleeding Yankee Blue

BOONE'S VOLPE OBSESSION HAS CROSSED INTO DELUSION

2026-06-09T22:33:09.643-04:00

Anthony Volpe was 0-4 tonight. It's predictable. Volpe is now batting .203. He's a horrible player. What the fuck are we doing here? At some point, unwavering faith stops being admirable and starts looking like a hostage situation.

That point may have arrived with Aaron Boone and Anthony Volpe.

Appearing on Jomboy's show, Boone doubled down yet again on his commitment to Volpe, confirming that the struggling shortstop would be back in the lineup against Cleveland. More remarkably, Boone pushed back on the notion that Volpe has received too much playing time compared to Jose Caballero. According to Boone, Volpe has been "really good" defensively and has simply been the victim of offensive bad luck.

Bad Luck.

Not poor performance. Not prolonged struggles. Not a player who has looked increasingly overmatched for long stretches. Just bad luck.

At this stage, Boone's defense of Volpe feels less like managerial support and more like performance art.

Nobody expected Boone to throw his young shortstop under the bus publicly. But there is a growing gap between protecting a player and pretending fans can't see what is happening right in front of them. Boone's comments managed to accomplish neither. Instead, they came across as a lecture to a fan base that watches the games, studies the numbers, and can recognize when reality and talking points have stopped sharing the same zip code.

The evidence is impossible to ignore. Tuesday marked Volpe's fifth start and sixth appearance in the Yankees' last seven games. Despite mounting criticism and increasingly legitimate questions about his role, Boone continues to pencil him in with the certainty of a man filling out a preprinted form. What happened to earning his job back? It was handed back to him and yet, Jose Caballero is a better player all around.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are approaching a roster crunch. Aaron Judge is sidelined. Giancarlo Stanton and Jasson Domínguez are nearing returns. The AL East race remains tight enough that every lineup decision matters. Yet Boone seems determined to treat Volpe's spot as the one position exempt from competition.

That's where the frustration boils over.

Jose Caballero has provided elite defense and a far more compelling argument for additional playing time than Boone appears willing to acknowledge. Lurking behind him is George Lombard Jr., one of the organization's most intriguing prospects and a player many believe could force the conversation sooner rather than later. The Yankees have alternatives. Boone simply appears uninterested in exploring them.

What makes the situation especially concerning is that Boone's actions suggest he can no longer objectively evaluate his own roster. If a player can struggle this visibly, receive this much runway, and still be described as "really good" with no meaningful adjustment in playing time, then what exactly would it take to lose Boone's confidence?

The Yankees are trying to win a division, not conduct a years-long science experiment.

When reinforcements arrive, Brian Cashman may have to make a difficult decision. But based on Boone's comments and deployment patterns, there's an argument that the decision should be taken out of Boone's hands entirely. Because if this level of commitment continues, the Yankees risk sacrificing better options simply to preserve a narrative that has long since stopped matching reality.

Faith is one thing.

Blind devotion is another.

And right now, Boone's commitment to Anthony Volpe looks a lot more like the latter.

CAN THE YANKEES WIN WITHOUT THEIR LEADER?

2026-06-08T07:58:14.730-04:00

It's a legitimate question. Aaron Judge is the leader of this team, he's the heart and soul of it. Aaron Boone is just a clueless mouthpiece. Who are the Yankees without Judge? They are a team with a ton of holes that are left for the entire world to see season after season. They are a roster full of guys that should've been replaced at the trade deadline, DFA'd, sent down the minors....it's an endless list.

So can the Yankees win without Judge? We've watched what the team does when Judge isn't on the field and it's A LOT less. I hate to think that the Yankees are just a shell of a team without him, but the more I think about the more I have to be honest and say no.

At this point, it feels like the absolute best-case scenario is we get Judge back on the field in August. A lot can happen between now and then and it leaves a lot of time for the weakness of this team to be exposed. It also means the starting pitching needs to work even harder to hold games close. They've done it well so far but it adds more pressure to a team that is already working with a shorter bench.

The starting rotation is legit and we have much better odds with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon back in action but can anyone really see this team trying to emphasize more of a strategy off small-ball offense without big bats? I don't see that. They've never cared about small ball or even good fundamentals so I am not feeling great that they can do it now with an emphasis on run prevention. I don't see that happening and it's an even bigger task with a huge strikeout guy like Spencer Jones filling in. Pretending the Yankees have the length and offense they need without Judge just isn't sane. Judge has single handedly made them LOOK like a better team than they really are for years now. Take him out of the lineup and this team is much less productive.

Perhaps the part I like the least about this indefinite injury to Judge is we have already had the Rays on our tail all season, and we are still tied with them but the uncertainty of Judge and his timeline means the AL East just became more interesting. Instead of this being a race against the Rays, teams under .500 suddenly have the option to become buyers at the trade deadline instead of sellers. Sure, Toronto and Baltimore are 7 and 8 games behind now, but if the Yankees go in a downward spiral then those bottom feeding teams can make up some ground. I could see it happening....I don't want to, but it's not impossible.

This team has been constructed poorly for years now. Brian Cashman hasn't been able to put together a real championship caliber team. Now without Judge, I feel like that will only become magnified. If it does, we won't be able to ignore it, Yankee brass won't be able to deny it but they won't change anything.

This team cannot afford to be without Judge. He is the hard and soul to the whole operation. I don't care how weak the rest of the American League is....the Yankees without Judge is an entirely different team.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MR. .200

2026-06-07T12:01:00.000-04:00

For years, Yankees fans have been told to ignore what they were watching. Every time Anthony Volpe struggled, there was always another explanation waiting around the corner. It was his shoulder. It was bad luck. It was mechanics. It was confidence. It was timing. It was everything except the possibility that the Yankees may have simply gotten this one wrong. Well, here we are in June of 2026, and the excuses are finally running out.

As of June 7, Volpe is batting .222. Against right-handed pitching, the numbers are downright alarming. He's hitting just .167 with 12 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances. Those aren't the numbers of a franchise cornerstone. Those aren't the numbers of a player turning the corner. Those are the numbers of a hitter who continues to get exposed by major league pitching.

The funny part is that we all knew this was coming.

Just a few weeks ago, Volpe got off to another one of his patented hot starts. Predictably, the usual crowd started celebrating. Social media was flooded with "he's finally figured it out" takes. The Yankees broadcast crew started talking about growth. Aaron Boone was giddy. He practically looked ready to nominate him for the Hall of Fame. But anyone paying attention knew exactly how this story would end because we've watched the same movie for three years.

Volpe gets hot. The Yankees declare victory. Pitchers adjust. Volpe struggles. The Yankees invent excuses. Repeat. We wrote about it in DON'T BE FOOLED BY VOLPE'S HOT START.

At some point, a pattern stops being a coincidence and starts becoming reality. Major league pitchers have figured Anthony Volpe out. They attack him with velocity at the top of the zone and breaking balls moving away from him. They know he chases. They know he swings through pitches. They know where the holes are. The book on Volpe isn't exactly classified information anymore. Every team in baseball has it.

What's truly remarkable isn't that pitchers adjusted. That's baseball. The remarkable part is that neither Volpe nor the Yankees coaching staff have been able to adjust back.

If Volpe were the elite player Aaron Boone constantly claims he is, we would see counters. We would see growth. We would see evolution. Instead, we see the same weaknesses year after year. At some point, the conversation has to move beyond potential and focus on production.

Then came Friday night's loss to Boston, which perfectly summed up the entire Volpe experience. The Yankees trailed by two runs in the ninth inning against Aroldis Chapman. They needed baserunners. They needed urgency. They needed somebody willing to compete.

Volpe watched three straight strikes go by.

Three.

Didn't swing. Didn't battle. Didn't even make Chapman work. If you're trying to come back in a baseball game, you have to swing the damn bat. Yet somehow, every time Volpe fails, we're told not to believe our own eyes.

Meanwhile, José Caballero continues doing what winning baseball players do. No, he's not a superstar. He isn't appearing in promotional campaigns. He wasn't marketed as the future captain of the Yankees. He's simply producing. Caballero is hitting .259 with a .314 on-base percentage and a .392 slugging percentage. He steals bases. He creates chaos. He plays excellent defense all over the diamond. He does the little things that help teams win games.

Imagine that. A player being judged by performance instead of prospect rankings. At this point, Caballero should remain the Yankees' everyday shortstop. Not because he's a future MVP candidate, but because he's currently the better player. That's supposed to matter on a team that claims to be chasing championships.

Unfortunately, championships don't appear to be the Yankees' top priority anymore. Protecting narratives seems far more important.

The Yankees didn't just draft Anthony Volpe. They fell in love with Anthony Volpe. Read: HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT. As we discussed in our article, the organization became emotionally attached to proving they were right. Once that happened, objective evaluation disappeared.

Every flaw became explainable. Every concern became unfair criticism. Every failure came with a built-in excuse. The Yankees didn't develop a player. They developed a storyline. And nobody appears more obsessed with keeping that storyline alive than Aaron Boone.

Boone talks about Volpe as if he's describing a player the rest of baseball can somehow see only through special Yankees-issued glasses. Boone continues treating Volpe like an untouchable star despite years of evidence suggesting he's simply an average player struggling to hold down a premium position. The obsession has become weird, and impossible to ignore.

Fans have watched this front office spend years forcing players onto the roster while insisting everything is fine. Now they're trying the same playbook with Volpe and Austin Wells. The organization keeps selling development projects while simultaneously talking about winning championships.

The fans aren't buying it. We're tired of it. Nobody is paying major league ticket prices to watch prospects learn on the job and if you are, shame on you. I am not interested in another five-year development plan. Yankees fans want championships. We want the best players on the field. We want accountability. We want results.

Most importantly, We are tired of being told that what they're seeing isn't real. Anthony Volpe's struggles aren't about a shoulder. They're not about bad luck. They're not about timing.

They're about a player who was overhyped, over drafted, overprotected, and overpromoted by an organization desperate to prove it made the right choice. The reality is becoming harder to ignore with every passing game. The Yankees bet big on Anthony Volpe becoming the face of their future.

But in the end, he's just a .200 hitter and that's the truth.

BEN RICE CAN'T BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE

2026-06-07T09:30:34.587-04:00

When the Yankees decided to bring Paul Goldschmidt back for 2026, it was difficult to find fault with the move. Goldschmidt came with a résumé that spoke for itself. He was a former MVP, a respected veteran, a proven run producer, and one of the smartest players in the game. The Yankees weren’t asking him to be the centerpiece of the offense. They simply needed him to provide stability at first base while helping bridge the gap to the next generation of players. Last year with him wasn't great, but perhaps he would do alittle better this year. At the time, it seemed like a sensible plan.

Three months later, that plan doesn’t look nearly as solid. The issue isn’t that Goldschmidt has been a disaster. He hasn’t. He still has value as a defender, he remains a professional hitter, and his presence in the clubhouse is unquestionably respected. The problem is that the Yankees suddenly need more than what Goldschmidt is providing.

As the calendar turns to June, the Yankees find themselves facing an uncomfortable reality. The catcher position has become a major concern. Offensive production behind the plate has been inconsistent, and the organization has already begun making roster adjustments in search of answers.

Meanwhile, Ben Rice has emerged as one of the most productive hitters on the roster.

That’s where things become complicated.

Rice was originally viewed as a versatile young player who could move around the diamond while developing into an everyday contributor. Now he has become far too important offensively to sit on the bench. His bat needs to be in the lineup every single day.

But where exactly should he play? The obvious answer would seem to be first base. Rice looks increasingly comfortable there, and many believe it is his long-term position. The other possibility is catcher.

Yankee fans have seen Rice behind the plate, and from the eye test alone, he's better than the catchers we have. And so, the problem is simple.

He can’t catch and play first base at the same time.

That is why the Goldschmidt situation has become more significant than many expected. That's why the catching situation is a huge failure by the Yankees front office. The Yankees signed Goldschmidt because they believed he would provide certainty. Instead, his presence has become part of a larger roster puzzle.

If Goldschmidt were delivering impact production every day, the Yankees could comfortably leave him at first base and use Rice for catching help. But if his performance remains merely adequate rather than difference-making, the equation changes.

Now the Yankees have to ask a difficult question: Where do you put Rice full time?

If the answer is yes, then the catcher position becomes an even bigger issue. Look, this is not necessarily an indictment of Goldschmidt. In many ways, he has been exactly what the Yankees thought they were signing: a veteran presence who can still contribute and help a contending team.

The problem is that the Yankees’ needs have changed. When the season began, first base appeared settled. Catcher appeared manageable, according to the Yankees, even though us fans knew otherwise. Rice was just viewed as a useful player. He's become better than they thought. Rice IS one of the lineup’s most important players. Catcher looks unsettled. First base no longer feels like a position with a clear long-term answer.

But baseball has a funny way of changing the conversation. As the trade deadline slowly approaches, the Yankees may find themselves searching for help at catcher, help at first base, or perhaps both.

And that’s the last situation they expected to be in, but again, for us fans, we saw it coming.

Stay tuned. It's going to get interesting.

THEORY: YANKS HIDING WELLS UNTIL HEAT IS OFF

2026-06-06T20:29:13.353-04:00

The Yankees’ catching situation just took another sharp turn, with Austin Wells suddenly being placed on the injured list right as the Yanks were about to play the Sox today. Officially, the move is being attributed to injury—reports have referenced a physical issue that required him to be shut down,“cervical headaches” to be exact. But it is my opinion that the timing is familiar.

Because let’s be honest about the context here: Wells has been taking a beating in the court of public opinion. His offensive production has been inconsistent, his bat has not lived up to expectations, and the fan base has been increasingly vocal about it. I think he's horrible. I'm not sugarcoating it. When a young player struggles in New York, it doesn’t stay quiet for long—and Wells was firmly in that spotlight.

That’s where the skepticism starts to creep in. This is not the first time the Yankees have suddenly leaned on an “injury explanation” during a period of underperformance and fan pressure. Last season, Anthony Volpe endured prolonged stretches of offensive struggles, and then—almost out of nowhere—he was placed on the injured list. The explanation at the time didn’t exactly come with a clear, obvious injury narrative that fans could easily point to, in fact out of no where the Yankees narrative was Volpe suddenly had a shoulder injury, and to me, it left a lingering sense that something else might have been going on behind the scenes.

Whether you agreed with that interpretation or not, the pattern is what sticks in my mind.

So now with Wells, the reaction is similar: the official report says injury, but the timing lines up a little too neatly with a player under heavy scrutiny and a fan base that has already begun turning on him. That combination inevitably leads to questions—fair or not—about transparency and messaging.

The Yankees organization has always been aggressive about controlling narratives. Sometimes that’s just smart roster management and protecting players. Other times, it creates the perception that information is being selectively framed depending on performance, pressure, or roster convenience. And once that perception takes hold, it becomes hard to shake.

To be clear, there is no concrete evidence suggesting Wells is not actually dealing with something physical. Injuries in baseball are constant, often vague, and frequently underexplained in real time. Catchers especially take a beating over a long season. But in a market like New York—where every slump is magnified and every roster move is dissected—the benefit of the doubt doesn’t come easy anymore.

So fans are left where they often are with this team: reading between the lines.

Maybe Wells is legitimately hurt and this is just another unfortunate break in a difficult season. Or maybe it’s simply the Yankees doing what they’ve done before—quietly reshaping the roster narrative while trying to protect a struggling player from an even harsher spotlight.

Either way, trust is always the subtext with this franchise now.

Stay tuned.

OUR CATCHING DISASTER ISN'T AN ACCIDENT, IT'S FRONT OFFICE INCOMPETENCE

2026-06-06T11:41:02.033-04:00

The Yankees' catching situation is not bad luck. It isn't a temporary slump. It isn't a "small sample size."

It's the predictable result of years of poor roster construction, blind organizational arrogance, and a front office that seems far more interested in winning press conferences than winning championships.

Let's stop pretending otherwise gang. For years, Yankees executives have sold fans on prospects before those prospects have actually accomplished anything. They've become experts at marketing potential while avoiding accountability for results. They did it with Anthony Volpe. Now they've done it with Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra.

Fans were told these catchers represented the future. What future? The numbers are staring everyone in the face. Escarra was hitting .186. Wells sits at .173. ONE SEVENTY-THREE. Think about that.

Those aren't "developing" numbers. Those aren't "future All-Star" numbers. Those aren't even acceptable backup catcher numbers. Those are numbers that get players replaced on serious championship contenders.

But this is where the Yankees have become masters of creating their own problems. Instead of addressing the issue years ago, they convinced themselves they were smarter than everyone else. They convinced themselves that production would magically appear because their internal evaluations said it would. It didn't and it hasn't. And now we're watching the consequences.

The Yankees finally acknowledged the problem by sending Escarra back to Triple-A and bringing up Ali Sánchez. But let's not pretend that move fixes anything.

Ali Sánchez isn't some hidden superstar waiting to save the season. He's simply the latest patch being applied to a leak that should have been repaired long ago. This isn't a catcher problem. It's a Yankee organization problem.

Good front offices identify weaknesses before they become emergencies. The Yankees wait until the house is already on fire before reaching for a garden hose. And this isn't limited to catcher.

This roster has warning signs everywhere. The Yankees have built a team that looks impressive on paper because the top of the roster contains recognizable names. That's great for television commercials. It's great for ticket sales. It's great for social media graphics. It's terrible for surviving a 162-game season.

Championship teams aren't built with stars alone. They're built with layers. They're built with contingency plans. They're built with quality depth. The Yankees have repeatedly ignored that reality. If one or two key players go down, entire sections of this roster become exposed. There are too many positions where the drop-off from starter to backup is enormous.

There are too many positions where the Yankees are hoping rather than planning. Hope is not roster construction. Hope is what organizations rely on when they don't have answers.

For years, the Yankees have operated as though they can outsmart basic baseball principles. They pour resources into analytics, endless projections, and theoretical upside while often ignoring the obvious flaws visible to everyone else. The result? A roster that constantly feels one injury away from a crisis. Look at the Judge situation. And now the bench that lacks impact.

A depth chart filled with question marks. And as you know, a catching situation that has become a league-wide embarrassment. The most frustrating part is that none of this should surprise anyone. People have been warning about these issues for years. Bleeding Yankee Blue has been warning about these issues for years. The lack of organizational urgency. The lack of depth. The overreliance on internal evaluations. The refusal to admit mistakes. The tendency to market every decision as genius regardless of outcome. The evidence keeps piling up. The excuses keep changing. The problems remain.

And let's talk about Aaron Boone, cause you knew I was going there. At what point does accountability finally reach the manager? Year after year, the same issues surface. Poor situational hitting. Questionable in-game decisions. A team that often appears to be going through the motions. A club that too frequently plays like it believes showing up is enough. At some point, leadership matters. At some point, culture matters. The Yankees continue to act like a franchise that deserves the benefit of the doubt simply because of what they accomplished decades ago.

Baseball doesn't work that way. History doesn't win today's games. Marketing doesn't win today's games.

Execution wins. Depth wins. Urgency wins. The Yankees have lacked all three for far too long. Now, this isn't about hating the players. I root for the players. I want them to succeed. This is about the executives who built the roster. The executives who created the depth chart. The front office who looked at these catching options and convinced themselves everything was fine, who continue to act as though criticism comes from people who "don't understand the plan."

Here's the problem. We're seeing the plan. That's exactly why us fans are frustrated. The catching situation is awful. The depth is questionable. The roster has glaring weaknesses. And the front office that created these problems continues to operate as though it deserves praise instead of scrutiny. The Yankees may still win games. They may still make the playoffs.

But unless significant changes are made, the flaws are eventually going to surface when the games matter most. Because championship organizations prepare for problems before they happen. This Yankees front office waits until the problem is impossible to ignore. And that's exactly why so many fans have lost faith.

Not in the players. Not in the pinstripes. In the people running the Yankees operation. The front office built this problem, and until accountability finally arrives in the Bronx, don't expect the results to change.

Sorry Gang, just calling it like I see it.

THE YANKEES ARE ABOUT TO FIND OUT WHO THEY REALLY ARE

2026-06-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

The Yankees received the news every fan feared this week when Aaron Judge was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side and placed on the injured list. The good news is that doctors ruled out thoracic outlet syndrome, a far more serious condition that could have jeopardized not only the rest of his season but potentially his career. The bad news is that the Yankees are now without the best player in baseball for at least four to six weeks, and there is no replacing what Judge brings to the lineup, the clubhouse, and the standings. That's the bottom line.

The injury itself is frustrating enough, but what has become almost comical is the way the Yankees communicated it. They are BAD at this. As is often the case with moron Aaron Boone, what started as soreness turned into a bone bruise, which turned into additional imaging, specialist visits, discussions about obtaining "clarity," and eventually the revelation that Judge had a stress fracture. Yankees fans have heard this script before. Every injury seems to begin with a relatively harmless description before evolving into something much more significant. Whether that's a communication issue, an organizational issue, or simply bad luck is open for debate, but the pattern has become impossible to ignore.

Boone, of course, did what Boone always does. He spoke. A lot of words, no clarity. Yankees managers have traditionally been measured with the media, but Boone has elevated the art and is the worst at it. Every struggling hitter is "close." Every injury requires more information. Every losing streak is a product of a process that is supposedly working despite all available evidence suggesting otherwise. Listening to Boone explain injuries has become like listening to a politician answer a direct question. You know there are words being spoken, but you're not entirely sure an answer was ever given. And as a fan, how can you not be fed up with this guy?

The larger issue, however, is not Boone's explanations. It's the fact that the Yankees have spent years constructing a roster that appears to have one overriding strategy: hope Aaron Judge remains healthy enough to cover up its weaknesses.

For all the money spent and all the talk about organizational depth, the Yankees continue to look suspiciously dependent on one player. When Judge is in the lineup, everyone else's flaws become easier to overlook. When he's absent, those flaws suddenly become glaring.

This is where the Yankees' offensive concerns come into focus. Paul Goldschmidt has provided valuable production, but he's no longer the MVP-caliber force who terrorized National League pitching in his prime. Anthony Volpe continues to show flashes of becoming a below average player, but it's not enough. Austin Wells sucks. Giancarlo Stanton can't stay healthy. We can't ask Ben Rice to be on every game.

Judge's absence also changes the way opposing teams approach the Yankees. Pitchers no longer have to navigate the fear of facing one of the most dominant hitters of this generation. The lineup becomes less intimidating. Mistakes become easier to make. Opposing managers can attack situations more aggressively. The ripple effect of losing Judge extends well beyond the numbers he produces himself.

Then there is Aaron Boone, whose tenure continues to divide Yankees fans. His supporters point to the regular-season success. His critics point to the lack of postseason results and a growing sense that the Yankees routinely underachieve relative to their talent and payroll. What cannot be disputed is that Boone now faces perhaps the most important stretch of the season. Managing a healthy roster featuring Aaron Judge is one thing. Managing a flawed roster without Aaron Judge is something entirely different.

For years, Boone's approach has often seemed built around patience and protection. Slumping players are reassured. Injured players are handled carefully. Public criticism is rare. While maintaining clubhouse harmony has value, there are times when fans wonder whether the organization mistakes comfort for accountability. The Yankees frequently talk about process, preparation, and trust, but those concepts eventually need to translate into results on the field.

The next month may tell us more about the Yankees than the first two months of the season combined. If the offense continues producing, if players such as Bellineger take meaningful steps forward, and if veterans like Goldschmidt carry a greater share of the burden, then the Yankees can survive this injury and remain legitimate contenders. If the offense collapses and the team struggles to score runs without Judge in the middle of the lineup, it will confirm what many observers have suspected for years: that Aaron Judge wasn't merely the Yankees' best player. He was the foundation holding everything together, not Boone.

That's the uncomfortable reality facing the Yankees today. Aaron Judge's injury didn't create the roster's weaknesses. It exposed them. For years the organization has acted as though there would always be another trade deadline, another offseason, another opportunity to patch the holes. Now those holes are being tested in real time. Judge is on the injured list, the excuses are running thin, and the Yankees are about to discover whether they're truly a championship contender or simply a team that has been fortunate enough to employ the best player in baseball.

RAMBLINGS OF AN 82 YEAR OLD YANKEE FAN: WHERE ARE WE GOING?

2026-06-05T08:10:58.632-04:00

Interacting with our Bleeding Yankee Blue readers is something I love, especially if everyone is respectful in the conversation. I want to introduce you to Len Ferrara who reached out to me and had a few things to say. So, I asked that an article be written. Here you go, folks, enjoy. And thank you Len.

-Casey

Every once in a while, on Facebook, an ad pops up for people to show that they are the oldest Yankee fan. I have put my name in, but I am obviously not the oldest because every Wednesday I have breakfast with a bunch of guys, three of whom are Yankee fans and are older than I am. Thus, age is just a number.

Since I’m rambling, I thought I would share some Yankee Stadium experiences.

My first trip to Yankee Stadium happened when I was seven or eight. I can’t really remember how old I was. You have to understand that was 75 years ago. It was a bus trip from Saint Anne’s Church in Newark, New Jersey. Basically, most of my family went.

Since I was an insignificant seven-year-old, I got to sit directly behind one of the vertical girders in the original Yankee Stadium. I can't recall how little of the game I saw, looking back and forth on either side of the girder. Since the year would have been 1950 or 1951, let me list some of the people who would’ve been playing in that game: Berra, Mize, Coleman, Rizzuto, Brown, Woodling, DiMaggio, and Bauer.

Now let me jump forward to when I was in the eighth grade. I was a school crossing guard. The reward for eighth graders who got the crossing guard assignments was a trip to Yankee Stadium. We sat in the bleachers. It was a sunny day. We roasted.

I remember telling the chaperone, my history teacher, that we had “found our place in the sun” (you have to dig back into your history book to understand that reference). The highlight of the day was my favorite player, Andy Carey, who played third base. He hit a home run right in the direction where we were sitting, but it didn’t quite reach us, proving you can’t have everything in life.

Some 25 years later, in the “new” Yankee Stadium, I was able to grab a foul ball that came into the upper deck at the weirdest angle I could ever imagine. I never thought you would get a foul ball sitting in that section, but I did.

That brings us to the latest and current iteration of Yankee Stadium. The best thing about it, I find, is the steak sandwich.

Was I there for Mariano’s last game? Yes, I was.

Am I crying now as I write about it? Yes, I am.

We, as Yankee fans, are so spoiled by players of that caliber, and I guess it’s just that we demand excellence, which is so hard to come by at this point in time.

As far as the current team is concerned, I don’t think it’s difficult to point to the holes. I don’t think you can win a championship when you have three guys batting below .200, or close to it. I also don’t think a hitting coach can take a .210 hitter and make him into a .250 hitter, but I have been known to be wrong a few times in my life.

Does the bullpen need help? Absolutely.

What I don’t understand is why we seem to have excellent prospects in the minors who stay in the minors while we get to watch relievers give up runs every time they come in.

The Yankees are worth $7 billion, or something like that, and Hal Steinbrenner thinks salaries are out of control. He's in favor of a salary cap that may cause him to cut $70 million in payroll. How is that going to happen?

Did the fans vote to give Trent Grisham $20.2 million for the year?

Will he be on the team next year?

Why do the owners vote in favor of selling teams to guys or groups that have absurd amounts of money and then complain when those same people give out absurd contracts?

Why did the league allow the bankruptcy sale of the Dodgers, and now they have a ridiculous financial advantage? Excuse me, you didn't see that coming?

When Stanton is healthy, will Boone put Rice in at catcher so the lineup would include Goldy, Rice, and Giancarlo? Or are they worried that his legs are not in shape to catch? Has Boone noticed the increase in Rice's size over the last two years?

Will Volpe playing second help with his hitting or mental gaffes? Or do we have to settle for a shortstop with less range?

You know Hal does not want to pay Jazz.

What is it about Yankees prospects that causes them to flame out in New York and then succeed elsewhere?

I still have my 1959 and 1960 Yankees yearbooks. I have a scrapbook with a newspaper clipping from April 18, 1948. That should tell you who I am.

Do you think I bleed Yankee blue?

I love the Yankees, but sometimes they just tick me off.

I am an observational scientist by occupation, although you can tell by my age that I am retired.

These are a few of my observations and concerns.

--Len Ferrara

UP SCHLITT'S CREEK?

2026-06-04T12:55:00.000-04:00

Cam Schlittler has been one of the best stories of the Yankees' season. The stuff is electric, the poise has been impressive, and perhaps most importantly, he's shown the kind of command that usually takes young pitchers years to develop.

But there's a fine line between confidence and cockiness.

I was one of the first people to roll my eyes when Schlittler was tweeting "Keep hating on us" back in March. MARCH. The Yankees were playing well, sure, but maybe pump the brakes a little. In reality, this kid hadn't accomplished anything then. Now he's getting real good, he's going to be great, but alittle early to act like Cy Young, no?

There's a reason veterans always say this game humbles you. Baseball has a funny way of finding anyone who starts believing their own headlines.

That's why Tuesday night's outing against the Guardians caught my attention. For the first time this season, Schlittler looked mortal. Cleveland tagged him for five runs, four earned, on five hits in just 4.1 innings. He struck out only three batters, marking the first time since September of last year that he'd allowed more than three runs in a start.

One bad outing isn't a crisis. Every great pitcher gets knocked around eventually. The bigger concern was what happened underneath the box score. Schlittler's fastball averaged 96.8 mph, roughly one mile per hour lower than normal. His cutter, sinker, and curveball also showed velocity drops. Across the board, his stuff just wasn't quite as sharp.

According to the New York Post, the dip was largely attributed to mechanical inconsistencies affecting his four-seam fastball, which then dragged down his overall velocity. Aaron Boone noted that it was the second straight start in which Schlittler struggled to find a consistent feel for his mechanics. While some wondered about arm fatigue, Schlittler insisted there were no injury concerns and no structural soreness.

That's encouraging. But it's still something worth monitoring. Look, the league adjusts. That's what it does. Every young pitcher looks unhittable until major-league hitters start collecting data, studying tendencies, and making counter-adjustments. Then comes the real test.

Can you adjust back? I actually think Schlittler can. He seems smart enough and competitive enough to make those changes. One rough start doesn't suddenly erase months of success. Still, maybe this is a reminder that baseball isn't conquered in March.

Thankfully, Gerrit Cole has looked exceptional since returning, giving the Yankees some stability if Schlittler experiences a few bumps along the way.

And if there's a lesson here, it's a simple one: don't start taking victory laps before you've run the race. Confidence is necessary. Every successful pitcher has it. But when you're a kid with barely any major-league experience, acting like you've already arrived can come back to bite you.

As for Schlittler, maybe he's still the real deal. Maybe this is nothing more than a temporary mechanical hiccup. I believe that over time he will be a true monster and success story, but I'm a realist.

Look, for months, Yankees fans have been calling him "the Schlitt."

The next few starts will tell us whether he really is the Schlitt—or whether the honeymoon phase is officially over.

CHISHOLM GETS MOCKED FOR APPEARING ON JIMMY FALLON

2026-06-04T07:19:00.000-04:00

Jazz Chisholm is just cocky.

Sometimes it's entertaining. Sometimes it's refreshing. And sometimes it leaves Yankees fans wondering if anyone has checked the stats before handing him a microphone.

Jazz made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and confidently predicted that New York will win the World Series.

"To win the World Series. (We're gonna do it)..." Chisholm said with a grin.

Now, confidence isn't exactly a bad thing. Nobody wants their players predicting a second-place finish. But there comes a point where the bold declarations start sounding a little different when you're hitting in the .230s and carrying a .699 OPS.

Remember when Chisholm spent spring training talking about becoming a 50-homer, 50-steal player? Yankees fans were excited. Chisholm was excited. Then reality showed up.

His season got off to a rough start, and at one point he suggested the cold weather was part of the reason for his struggles. Fair enough. Hitting a baseball in 40-degree weather isn't exactly a day at the beach.

But here's the problem.

October baseball isn't played in paradise.

If the Yankees want to win the World Series—the same World Series Chisholm just guaranteed on national television—they're going to have to play in cold weather. Maybe in New York. Maybe in Cleveland. Maybe somewhere even colder. At some point, "it's too cold" stops sounding like an explanation and starts sounding like something fans don't want to hear.

Which brings us to the funniest part of this entire story.

After Chisholm's appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Cleveland broadcaster Tom Hamilton delivered what might be the quote of the week.

Hamilton basically laughed at the idea that Chisholm was even a guest on Fallon in the first place, joking that it was surprising a guy hitting in the .230s got invited onto the show.

And honestly? It was hilarious.

Not because Hamilton was being mean. Not because Chisholm deserves to be mocked. But because it was the exact thought a lot of baseball fans probably had when they heard the interview.

You don't usually see struggling hitters making headlines for predicting championships. Usually, they're busy trying to get their batting average above the Mendoza Line.

That's what made Hamilton's jab land so perfectly. It wasn't some personal attack. It was baseball's version of a perfectly timed fastball right down the middle.

And the worst part for Chisholm?

Hamilton wasn't wrong.

If Chisholm were hitting .310 with 18 home runs, nobody would blink at a World Series prediction. Fans would probably love it. But when you're batting in the .230s, carrying a sub-.700 OPS, and still talking like you're the star of the league, you're practically inviting broadcasters to have some fun at your expense.

To be fair, Chisholm has never lacked confidence, and that's part of what makes him such a fascinating player. The swagger, the personality, the energy—it's all part of the package. Baseball could use more players willing to show some emotion.

But confidence and production work best as a pair.

Right now, Chisholm has plenty of the first one.

The Yankees are still waiting on more of the second.

THE YANKEES NEED TO FIX THE CATCHER POSITION FAST!

2026-06-03T23:56:00.000-04:00

The Yankees have a catching problem, and it's becoming harder to ignore with each passing week.

Neither JC Escarra nor Austin Wells has managed to seize control of the position. Wells has not shown anything. Escarra's story remains one of the best feel-good tales in baseball, yet sentiment alone won't solve a lineup that desperately needs more production behind the plate. For a team with championship aspirations, the Yankees can't afford for catcher to remain an offensive black hole. This is a position we here at Bleeding Yankee Blue was concerned about in the off season. It's amazing how the Yankees front office thought this duo could actually work.

Now there are reports that the Yankees's front office is expected to keep a close eye on the trade market for a right-handed hitting catcher who can bring legitimate thump to the lineup. The Yankees don't need another backup. They need a difference-maker.

One intriguing option is Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins. We've mentioned him before. When healthy, Jeffers has demonstrated the ability to punish opposing pitching, providing the kind of right-handed power that would fit naturally in Yankee Stadium. Minnesota's uncertain position in the standings could make veteran pieces available, and Jeffers' recent hand injury may lower his acquisition cost. If the Twins decide to listen on offers, the Yankees should be among the first teams calling.

Another name worth monitoring is Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers. The young catcher has developed into one of the more promising offensive backstops in the American League, combining power potential with solid defensive skills. Detroit may view him as a long-term building block, but every player has a price. If the Yankees are willing to part with some young pitching or prospect depth, Dingler could become an attractive target.

Then there's the dream scenario: Adley Rutschman. Let's be realistic—an Orioles-Yankees blockbuster is about as likely as seeing Red Sox fans cheer for Aaron Judge. But if Baltimore were ever willing to entertain the idea, Rutschman would instantly transform the Yankees' lineup. His switch-hitting bat would add balance, his on-base skills would create more opportunities for sluggers like Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and his reputation as one of baseball's premier game managers would elevate the entire pitching staff.

For now, the Yankees continue to juggle Wells and Escarra while searching for answers. The problem is that October contenders rarely survive with uncertainty at catcher. If the Yanks are serious about making a deep postseason run, general manager Brian Cashman may need to stop patching the position and start solving it.

DO THE YANKEES HAVE A CHANCE TO SNAG TARIK SKUBAL?

2026-06-01T09:31:07.664-04:00

Everyone is watching, waiting and wondering what the Detroit Tigers are going to do this summer, especially me. The Tigers are at the bottom of the AL Central which means the Tigers might be ready to move Tarik Skubal soon.

This season feels like it is moving faster than normal. Summer is here which means in a couple of months the trade deadline will be here. Teams will be looking to bolster their rosters for a postseason run and the Tigers and Skubal could be parting ways soon and another team could get a VERY good, shiny new rotation piece.

"It's trending that way. Talking with people around the game, that is their feeling," Rosenthal said when asking if a Skubal trade on Saturday’s MLB on FOX pregame show was realistic. "The outlook right now is rather bleak, and honestly, it's difficult to imagine them making up a 14-game under .500 deficit, getting back to .500, and then contending even in a weak American League. So the question becomes, 'Will Skubal be healthy enough?' It's what we don't know." Read more HERE.

That is a wild card, but if he is what an amazing instant upgrade. Before Skubal hit the Injured List he had a 2.70 ERA on a terrible Tigers team that doesn't score a lot of runs. It would be fun to watch what he could do on a team with a more potent offense. It would be even nicer to have Skubal plug into a rotation with Max Fried and Gerrit Cole. But is THAT realistic?

Probably not for more than one reason. I'm sure Brian Cashman will be listening like he always does but if Fried's elbow injury is just a contusion and he comes back healthy the Yankees have other strong pieces like Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodon and progressing Will Warren. The Yankees have some strong pieces in the rotation, there wouldn't be a great need to trade top prospects to get a short rental for Skubal. So there's reason number one.

When you look at the Yankees trade chips, they have some pieces but not ones they are willing to part with to get the Tigers to send us Skubal. If we could dangle Spencer Jones and they would bite that would be one thing but Detroit is going to want a lot more than Jones and that likely starts with George Lombard Jr. or Carlos Lagrange.

The Yankees don't want to part with Lombard Jr at all, let alone for a short term rental. There are other teams out there with a deeper pool of top prospects that will not only have more to offer the Tigers, but will also be willing to deal them and the first team that comes to mind should be no surprise....the damn Dodgers. They have more top ranked prospects than any team and are highly motivated to do what it takes to complete a dynasty run for another championship. It could happen, but I am not sleeping on the Cubs or the Padres either.

So, there it is. I sit here and drool thinking about Skubal but realistically have to tell myself he's an unrealistic move for the Yankees. A girl can dream, I guess.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

DON'T BE FOOLED BY VOLPE'S HOT START

2026-05-31T11:51:00.000-04:00

Jose Caballero should remain the Yankees' everyday shortstop, regardless of Anthony Volpe's latest hot start. If that sounds harsh, it's only because Yankees fans have watched the same cycle play out enough times to recognize it immediately.

Volpe starts hot. Headlines follow. Social media fills with breakout-season predictions. Analysts begin talking about the former top prospect finally putting it all together. Then somewhere along the way, the production starts to disappear, pitchers adjust, and the numbers begin trending in the wrong direction.

At some point, a trend stops being a coincidence and becomes part of the scouting report.

The best example remains 2024. Through his first 264 plate appearances, Volpe looked like a completely different hitter, batting .282 and appearing ready to establish himself as one of the league's better young shortstops. Then the league adjusted. Over the remainder of the season, he hit just .221/.256/.325. That's not a slump. That's a collapse.

To Volpe's credit, he delivered some huge postseason moments, including a memorable World Series grand slam. Nobody can take that away from him, except for the fact that the Yankees lost, and so, it really means nothing. One October highlight doesn't automatically erase years of offensive inconsistency. The Yankees cannot continue making lineup decisions based on what they hope Volpe will become rather than what he has consistently shown himself to be. But that's what Boone does.

Meanwhile, Jose Caballero keeps doing something that has become strangely undervalued in today's game: he shows up every day and performs. Caballero doesn't arrive with the prospect hype. He doesn't have the first-round pedigree. He isn't the player featured in marketing campaigns or pushed as the face of the franchise's future. All he does is play winning baseball.

His defense is elite. His instincts are exceptional. He makes routine plays look effortless and difficult plays look routine. His baseball IQ consistently shows up in every phase of the game. Whether it's positioning, anticipation, baserunning, situational awareness, or simply understanding how to execute winning baseball, Caballero brings a level of polish and consistency that the Yankees have desperately needed.

Even Friday night against the Athletics provided another example. Back at shortstop, Caballero went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the Yankees' 8-2 win. It wasn't a headline-grabbing performance. It was something even better: reliable.

That's become his trademark. But here's another one. Saturday? Volpe? 0-4 in the Yankees loss to the A's. I can't deal.

Plus, the defensive conversation should not even be close at this point. If we're being completely honest, the Yankees' strongest infield alignment features Jazz Chisholm at second base and Jose Caballero at shortstop.

Chisholm is simply a better defensive second baseman than Volpe. His range, athleticism, reactions, and comfort level at the position are evident every night. Likewise, Caballero has shown superior consistency at shortstop. Together, they give the Yankees an athletic, dependable middle infield capable of turning difficult plays into outs on a regular basis.

Which brings us to the strange sight of Volpe taking ground balls at both shortstop and second base before games. For optics, it makes sense. For baseball reasons, it makes far less sense.

The Yankees may want fans to believe they're exploring versatility, but it's difficult to envision a realistic scenario where Volpe becomes the preferred option at second base. Why would he?

If Chisholm is the better second baseman and Caballero is the better shortstop, where exactly does Volpe fit into that equation? You don't weaken two positions just to create room for one player, unless of course you're obsessed with Volpe like Boone is.

For years, the Yankees have seemed determined to make Volpe work regardless of performance. They've remained patient through prolonged offensive struggles, extended slumps, and repeated second-half fadeouts. At some point, however, patience has to be rewarded with results.

This season should be viewed as a proving ground for Volpe. If he truly has turned the corner, fantastic. Let him prove it over six months instead of six weeks. Because history suggests caution.

Pitchers have consistently followed the same blueprint against him. Early in seasons, they challenge him with fastballs and he takes advantage. Then scouting reports circulate. Opposing staffs identify the holes in his swing and stop giving him pitches he can drive.

The diet shifts toward breaking balls and off-speed offerings. His chase rate begins to climb. His hard-hit rates begin to fall. His swing often gets longer. His strike-zone discipline deteriorates. Weak ground balls start replacing line drives. The production dries up. The pattern has become so familiar that many Yankees fans can practically predict it before it happens.

That doesn't mean Volpe lacks talent. Quite the opposite. The raw tools are obvious. The speed is real. The athleticism is real. The defensive flashes are real. The consistency is not. And consistency is what separates good players from cornerstone players. It's my opinion the minors is where he needs to be to get consistency.

Jose Caballero has earned the opportunity to keep playing every day because he has consistently impacted games. Not because of prospect rankings. Not because of draft status. Not because of organizational investment.

Because he has performed.

The Yankees' best defensive alignment right now is staring them directly in the face: Jazz Chisholm at second base, Jose Caballero at shortstop, and everyone else figuring out how to fit around that reality.

If Anthony Volpe wants that shortstop job back permanently, the path is simple. Sustain the production. Make the adjustments. Prove that this year's hot start won't become another chapter in a story Yankees fans have already read multiple times.

Until that happens, Caballero deserves the job, and frankly, he deserves far more credit than he's getting for being one of the most reliable players on the roster.

BABE RUTH: HOME RUN NUMBER 714

2026-05-31T10:30:47.541-04:00

By the spring of 1935, Babe Ruth's legendary career was nearing its end. His days as baseball's most feared hitter were largely behind him, and his brief stint with the Boston Braves had done little to recapture the magic that made him the sport's biggest attraction. But on May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Ruth delivered one last unforgettable reminder that even an aging Sultan of Swat could still put on a show unlike anyone else.

Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 40-year-old Ruth enjoyed one of the most remarkable farewell performances in baseball history. He went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, blasted three home runs, drove in six runs, and nearly single-handedly kept the Braves competitive in an eventual 11-7 loss. The Braves lost the game, but nobody remembered the score. They remembered the home runs.

And not just because there were three of them.

The final blast of the afternoon was home run No. 714—the last home run Babe Ruth would ever hit in a Major League game. Think about that number for a moment. When Ruth retired, 714 home runs stood as one of the most untouchable records in sports. He didn't just hold the all-time home run record; he had completely redefined what was possible. Before Ruth arrived, no player had ever reached 200 career home runs. Ruth more than tripled that total.

His third homer that day was vintage Ruth. The ball rocketed off his bat and sailed completely out of Forbes Field in fair territory, becoming the first fair ball ever hit entirely out of the stadium. Witnesses offered varying estimates of the distance, with some claiming it approached 600 feet. Whether it actually traveled that far may never be known, but one thing is certain: nobody in attendance had seen anything like it.

The baseball eventually landed in a nearby yard beyond the ballpark. Ruth later signed the ball for the man who found it, and it ultimately found a permanent home in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, preserving a piece of one of baseball's most iconic afternoons.

The scene that followed was pure Babe Ruth.

After circling the bases for the final home run of his career, Ruth completed his trot, then casually made his way toward the Pirates' bullpen. There, according to popular accounts, he helped himself to a towel, sat down among the opposing pitchers, patted one on the knee, and remarked, "Felt pretty good out there today, boys. Felt pretty good."

It's hard to imagine a more fitting curtain call.

Three home runs in a single game. A perfect day at the plate. Six RBIs. Home run No. 714. The first fair ball ever hit completely out of Forbes Field. It was as if baseball's biggest star had saved one final performance for the closing act.

Ruth would play only a few more games before retiring, but May 25, 1935, remains one of the greatest farewell performances in sports history. It was the last time fans saw the Bambino at full power, launching baseballs into the stratosphere and leaving opponents shaking their heads in disbelief.

Baseball has spent nearly a century searching for the next Babe Ruth. It has produced Hall of Famers, MVPs, record breakers, and home run kings. Yet when conversations turn to the greatest player the game has ever seen, Ruth's name never stays out of the discussion for long. A career that ended with 714 home runs was impressive enough. Finishing it with three in one afternoon felt almost too perfect—a final reminder that the game's biggest legend still had one more Ruthian performance left in him.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

DO THE YANKEES EVEN NEED AARON BOONE?

2026-05-29T08:48:15.405-04:00

The Yankees swept the Royals, and somehow it still leaves me wondering if Boone is the problem. Crazy, right? Look, The Yanks handled the Kansas City Royals 3 straight losses.

They outclassed them. Out-hit them. Out-pitched them. Out-everything’d them. For three games, the gap between the two teams looked significant. Let's say it though. The Yankees are supposed to do that. The Royals are in 4th place in the AL Central and 10 games out. They're not very good.

But when everything is clicking, baseball is simple. The Yankees are good enough to make it look almost unfair alot of the time. And that’s exactly why the uncomfortable conversation always circles back to Aaron Boone for me.

For those 3 games, the talent did all the heavy lifting. Start with the obvious headliner: Aaron Judge.

Judge hit and helped despite a mini-slump, Amed Rosario turned the Yankees-Royals series into his personal batting practice session. During the sweep, he was the Yankees’ hottest hitter — and in the historic 15-1 demolition, he went a ridiculous 4-for-5 with two homers, a pile of RBIs, and enough fireworks to make Kansas City wish for a rain delay.

Then there’s Gerrit Cole.

When Cole is right, and he is, everything else becomes easier. The bullpen breathes. The lineup loosens up. The dugout stops feeling like it’s waiting for something bad to happen. Against the Royals, Cole didn’t manage the game — he erased the need to manage it at all. He went out, attacked hitters, and pitched like a guy reminding everyone that he’s supposed to be the ace of a championship-level rotation.

And that’s really the theme of the entire series:

When Rosario is on fire and Cole pitches like Cole, the Yankees don’t need inspiration. They don’t need strategy. They just need to show up. And it wasn't just them... it was contagious. Many did their part for the Bombers. Which brings us to the part nobody in the front office likes to say out loud.
When It’s Easy, It Looks Fine. When It’s Hard, It Falls Apart. Admit it. And you know why.

It is my decision that the Yankees didn’t win these games because of clever managerial decisions. They won because the talent gap was so wide it could cover up anything short of total self-sabotage.

But this is where the Boone experience always gets interesting. Because when things are easy, everything looks fine. Lineup decisions disappear into the background. Pitching changes don’t get questioned. The game flows, the scoreboard stays in your favor, and everyone can pretend the process is airtight.

But when the game tightens up — when the opponent actually punches back — that’s where things start to feel different. That’s where Boone has a habit of turning manageable situations into chaotic ones.

A bullpen move one batter too late. A matchup that makes no sense on paper. A refusal to ride the hot hand or, worse, the insistence on “staying the course” when the course is clearly sinking.

The Yankees can win 15–1 and nobody notices it. But the postseason doesn’t look like Kansas City in May. And that’s the problem. That's what I've been saying for years.

Look, this series didn’t prove Boone is good, it proved he might not matter. I'm serious. The Royals series didn’t require managerial brilliance. It required the Yankees to not mess it up.

And they didn’t. Judge helped, Rosario was on fire. Cole did his job. Hell, even Volpe did his job. In fact, many of the supporting pieces filled in the gaps when needed.

That’s what a good roster is supposed to do. But at no point did it feel like Boone added anything to the equation. If anything, it felt like a situation where the Yankees were winning around him, not because of him. And that’s where my real question starts to creep in. Do We Even Need Boone?

It’s not a troll question anymore. It’s a baseball question. If the Yankees’ wins are driven almost entirely by elite player performance… If their losses often feature questionable in-game decisions by our manager… If the team looks identical whether the manager is praised or criticized…

Then what exactly is the managerial value of Aaron Boone really adding to the Yankees except for headaches in close games? Great teams don’t just need talent. They need leadership that can turn talent into championships when margins shrink and pressure increases.

Right now, the Yankees look like a team that can dominate Kansas City in May with or without a manager in the dugout. But the real test — the one everyone already knows is coming — is whether Boone can survive when “easy wins” disappear. Because against the Royals, baseball was simple.

Against October opponents, it never is. And that’s where the Yankees still don’t have an answer.

Think about it.

THE MCMAHON EXPERIMENT NEEDS TO END

2026-05-27T07:36:48.808-04:00

What a hot start the Yankees had. Keyword is had. It's easy to overlook flaws and holes in your team when you are doing well. Then, when you aren't it is easy to pick everything apart. We've got some guys that are ice cold and that are liabilities to the team so naturally, they are in the hot seat.

I was never a big fan of the Ryan McMahon move. He was force fed to us by a bizarre move from our out of touch General Manager Brian Cashman. His .250 BA glory days in Colorado were his best and that's exactly what Cashman chases. Now he comes here and he's got a nice glove but he's basically an automatic out with his .190 BA. He's a nice defensive flash of the glove and nothing more. The name of the game is to hit and score runs also because you know....the team with the most runs wins. That's the part that just doesn't exist and it's not getting better.

So now here we are talking once again about how to upgrade this roster by the trade deadline. There are so many needs beyond the obvious bullpen, David Bednar and Austin Wells disaster that we can't forget McMahon. All of these guys need to go, but the last two days have had increasing chatter about trading McMahon.

At this point, there are more people on the roster I'd want to trade than keep and McMahon is no exception. I just think the Yankees may be stuck with him. We owe him $16 million dollars this season and next. Given how lackluster his stats are, I don't see the Yankees moving as much of that salary as they would like so finding a trade partner may not be as easy as we would like.

Then there's the other question of, who should the Yankees move him for? There are guys out there that could be a nice upgrade, but that doesn't mean they will get what they want. One wild idea that I found HERE talked about trading with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Ketel Marte. What's that? Oh, sorry that's me laughing in the background.

I'd love to actually UPGRADE from McMahon, yes and actual upgrade not a useless Cashman lightening in a bottle acquisition but Marte is not happening. First, Marte signed a team-friendly contract for 6-years and $116.5 million through 2030 with a player option for 2031. The Diamondbacks structured his deal with $46 million in deferred money just so they can maintain some payroll flexibility as they try to compete in the NL West. Marte himself also stated he wanted to stay in AZ "forever" meaning he has no intention of waiving his full no-trade clause that just so happens to list the Yankees as one of the teams he wouldn't consent to move to. He has full 10-and-5 trade veto power and he's not interested in the Bronx. He's a fan favorite in Arizona and he loves Arizona just as much....oddly.

So as much as I would like the Yankees to get ditch McMahon for some real offensive power it isn't going to be for Marte. That's a pipedream that just isn't going to happen. Even if his full no-trade clause wasn't a thing, there is no way Cashman could even pull that off. He only knows how to dumpster dive....

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

A GOOD LEADER AT THE HELM IS THE ONLY WAY THIS TEAM CAN WIN THE WHOLE THING

2026-05-25T15:50:51.314-04:00

Aaron Boone is weak.

You know how I know? Favoritism. Jose Caballero goes 0-3 last night and Boone couldn't wait to put Volpe at short today and move Jose to third. And he bats Volpe 7th and Jose 9th. Ridiculous.

Look, the Yankees going 4-10 over their last 14 games isn’t just a slump — it’s a full-blown Bronx stock market crash. In the span of two weeks, they went from sitting atop the division to staring up at a 5.5-game deficit. That’s not “bad luck.” That’s structural failure.

And let’s call it what it is: the bullpen has been a nightly arson investigation. Strong starts have been wasted because relievers keep turning late innings into batting practice. The offense has lost its rhythm, the pitching has come back down to earth, and honestly? None of this is surprising.

Because I said this weeks ago.

I told you the Rays were the better team. Not flashier. Better. More disciplined. Better managed. Breathing down our necks. More prepared. And now look who owns the AL East.

The funniest part? Yankees fans, our front office, they all keep acting shocked. Why? We’ve seen this movie for years. The script never changes.

And no, this isn’t just about the players. Talent alone doesn’t win championships.

Leadership matters. Strategy matters. Accountability matters. The Yankees have enough talent to compete — what they don’t have is a manager capable of steering the ship once the waters get rough.

What makes a great leader in baseball — or business, for that matter? Three things:

Strategic execution.
People management.
Adaptability under pressure.

Great managers put players in positions to succeed. They know how to manage a bullpen without needing a fire extinguisher by the seventh inning. They make adjustments. They communicate clearly. They create accountability. And when adversity hits, they rally the room instead of serving the media a Caesar salad made entirely of buzzwords and excuses.

Good leaders don’t gaslight the press.
Good leaders don’t pretend fans can’t see what’s happening.
Good leaders don’t answer every tough question with a corporate TED Talk and a blank stare.

When a team is winning, managing is easy. Anybody can smile in postgame interviews after a 10-2 win in May. The real test comes when the team spirals, confidence drops, and hard decisions need to be made.

That’s where real leadership shows up. And that’s where Aaron Boone disappears. Why? Because he is not a good leader. WHY DOES NO ONE SEE THIS!

I’ve said it for years: the Yankees front office has handed fans a manager who may keep the seat warm, but he’s not bringing this franchise back to the World Series. Don’t confuse regular-season talent with championship leadership.

Because eventually, reality always catches up.

And right now, it’s lapping the Yankees.

WELCOME TO THE "DO LESS WITH MORE" YANKEES ERA

2026-05-25T08:57:55.455-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE LIABILITY

2026-05-23T09:01:42.190-04:00

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

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

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

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

Sound familiar?

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

One homer. Parade the float.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YANKEES PICK WRONG AGAIN

2026-05-22T09:51:24.305-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By the way, the photo up top?

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

BOONE'S OBSESSION IS ALARMING

2026-05-20T14:11:00.000-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aaron Boone did not agree pic.twitter.com/JENCL36F09
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 20, 2026

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile, players who actually earned opportunities got buried.

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

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

This whole thing feels manufactured.

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

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

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

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

That should make the decision easy.

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

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

Again.

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

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

2026-05-20T07:51:20.400-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE YANKEES MANUFACTURED SUPERSTAR PROBLEM

2026-05-19T16:53:00.000-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Work hard? Maybe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GIO URSHELA TAPS OUT

2026-05-19T10:10:00.000-04:00

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

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

But Yankees fans knew better.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yesterday, Urshela posted this message:

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

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

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

FOR THE LOVE OF THE YANKEES, A TRUE FAN PERSPECTIVE

2026-05-19T05:08:00.000-04:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's my take.

--Steve Cohen