Jazz Tries To Defend Volpe... Falls Flat

Jazz Chisholm finally cracked his 100th career homer the other night, and honestly, good for the kid. The guy plays like someone set his cleats on fire and told him the infield dirt was lava. He’s electric, he’s got swagger, and when the Yankees snagged him, his stock shot up.  But I’m not here to talk about Jazz and his bat… I want to talk about the middle infield.

It is my opinion that Volpe is like the unwanted third wheel on what should be a smooth double-play machine. Jazz is out here trying to make magic, but Volpe’s sloppy glove work muddies everything up this year. Don’t believe me? Watch what happened last night when Jazz teamed up with Jose Caballero. It was silky, it was seamless, it was… baseball the way God intended. With Volpe, it looks like two guys trying to pass a watermelon through a revolving door.

And yet, Jazz — bless his optimistic heart — tries to defend Volpe in public. He recently told The Athletic:

“It’s hard to be a New York Yankee, especially when you’re struggling a little bit because the fans are kind of rough out here. They let you know they want to win… I feel like he’s handling it like a grown man… He’s only 24… He’s got 18 home runs as a shortstop. That’s sick.”

Cute speech. But here’s the reality: saying someone is “handling it like a grown man” doesn’t earn bonus points when, newsflash, you are a grown man. That’s literally the job description. And sure, 18 homers from a shortstop sounds nice… until you look at the .208 batting average stapled to it like a scarlet letter.

Eighteen dingers don’t erase the fact that Volpe couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. He leads the league in errors, he’s killing double plays, and his bat’s allergic to contact. This isn’t “development,” this is malpractice.

Meanwhile, Caballero is over there flashing leather, sparking rallies, and actually doing the job. Last night proved it beyond debate: he’s the better shortstop, the better defender, and frankly, the better Yankee right now.

So here’s the solution: keep Caballero at short, let Volpe find himself somewhere far away from the Bronx, and allow Aaron Boone to stand on the dugout steps staring blankly into the abyss like a man who just lost his dog.

Because, honestly, Caballero might be the only thing standing between the Yankees and a total collapse at this point. This team doesn’t need more “development projects” in late August. It needs players who can actually, you know, play.

First, Austin Wells lost his catching job to Ben Rice. Now, Volpe’s circling the drain. And if Boone keeps clinging to “potential” instead of production, the Yankees’ playoff hopes will go up in smoke — just like the front office’s reputation already has.

Bottom line: put the best players on the field. Bench the dead weight. Save the season while there’s still something to save.