Anthony Volpe's surgery news confirms Yankees fans were once again right all along

After their 2025 season went down the tubes, the New York Yankees have already gotten to work this offseason. They began shuffling the coaching staff under manager Aaron Boone once again. And now it's been revealed one of their everyday contributors underwent shoulder surgery Tuesday, per reporting from Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Anthony Volpe reportedly got the procedure done to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder — an injury he seemingly played with since early May. He commented on the possibility of surgery after the Yankees' elimination last Wednesday and provided little clarity to the media.

Back on May 3, Volpe made a diving attempt on a defensive play and winced aggressively in pain, grabbing his shoulder as the Yankees training staff attended to him. It very much looked like he should've come out of the game, based on how long the delay was in addition to the visible discomfort he was in.

But Volpe stayed in, only receiving one day off until the All-Star break. His play suffered greatly from that point forward, and the Yankees only addressed it briefly when they traded for Jose Caballero and finally used him for about a week in the middle of September.

Unfortunately, that was it, though. Volpe returned as the starter after getting rest from his cortisone shot (his reported second since the injury) and then played the entirety of the postseason, during which he went 3-for-23 with an astonishing 15 strikeouts (after his valiant 2-for-3 effort with a home run against Garrett Crochet in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series).

After a dominant April in which fans believed Volpe could be turning a corner, the shortstop was one of the worst qualified hitters in all of Major League Baseball. Never once did the Yankees thoughtfully consider making some sort of change with the intent of protecting who they believe to be a young cornerstone player, despite incessant calls from the fanbase and media. Many felt there was no way they could consider themselves World Series contenders if Volpe was playing this poorly, especially when the Yankees had a clear reason to switch things up. He was injured all year. Regardless of their opinion of him, they needed to — and should have — addressed this immediately to salvage his development.

The 24-year-old finished with the worst season of his professional career, hitting .212/.272/.391 (.663 OPS and 83 OPS+). While he did hit 19 home runs and record 72 RBI and 18 stolen bases, he only registered 1.7 WAR (compared to 3.3 and 3.4 marks in 2023 and 2024) while notably slipping on the defensive side of the ball.

Yankees fans have wanted a Volpe solution of sorts dating back to his rookie season, when it was clear he was not yet ready for the 162-game grind (something Aaron Boone admitted after the year had ended). After it was more of the same in 2024, the groans got louder. At the very least, the Yankees needed an available platoon option to give him a breather one or twice per week. After all, the stats had proven exactly that. He starts every year off hot, and then comes out of the All-Star break hot.

But the stubbornness persisted. Volpe played in 159 and 160 games to begin his career, with absolutely no reprieve despite major warning sides. Then with the way the 2025 season unfolded, the fan outrage reached an all-time high.

And it'll probably remain that way throughout the offseason until the organization decides to come to its senses. They might not have a choice, either, if Volpe can possibly miss months of 2026.