Buster Olney's suggestion for Yankees, Anthony Volpe would literally never work

Anthony Volpe is back playing shortstop for the New York Yankees, but it shouldn't be for long. Once José Caballero returns from the 10-day Injured List next week, Aaron Boone plans to re-insert Caballero into his rightful role as the team's starter. Where does that leave Volpe? On the bench? Back in Triple-A? ESPN's Buster Olney has a different idea.

Speaking with Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay on May 14, a day after Volpe made his 2026 debut by going 0-for-3 with an error, Olney suggested that the Yankees move Volpe around and have him play other positions besides shortstop. Olney reported that he's heard from multiple people around the league that Volpe would "benefit" from playing different positions.

Olney reminded listeners that Caballero has made a career of moving around defensively and playing wherever needed, a willingness that ultimately led to his starting shortstop role with the Yankees. He basically suggested that Volpe should take the same approach.

Anthony Volpe can't handle shortstop, so how can he handle more defensive responsibilities?

Olney even pointed out that Volpe's below-average arm strength might make him a more realistic fit at second base, mentioning that Jazz Chisholm Jr. happens to be struggling "badly" in 2026 for the Yankees.

He asserted that Volpe could and would be the Yankees' starting shortstop right now if he had simply taken it upon himself to perform better in prior seasons. This point from Olney stood in contrast to Volpe's vague comments from the other day, suggesting that his Yankees destiny is out of his control at this point.

Anthony Volpe replacing Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base would be Yankees nightmare

Olney's takes here on Volpe were interesting, slightly unexpected, but ultimately incomplete, seeing as he didn't acknowledge a huge issue with Volpe: his bat.

The Yankees would be OK living with Volpe's subpar defense if he were a proven MLB hitter, but he's not. He's a career .222 hitter who has a tendency to descend into prolonged slumps. Moving Volpe around defensively wouldn't change that. Until Volpe starts showing that he can put bat on ball and impact winning in limited plate appearances, there's really no reason for the Yankees to go out of their way to accommodate him. In fact, there's even a wise segment of Yankees fans who feel that the Yankees promoted the wrong guy when they called up Volpe to fill in for Caballero.

Volpe might've had himself a good weekend at Citi Field, but the Yankees still lost two out of three and his defensive miscue (running directly into Max Schuemann who had the play on the chopper to throw home) to end Sunday's affair still caught the eyes of fans even though the game was blown long before that.

Any comparison between Volpe and Chisholm (even a struggling Chisholm) is outlandish, especially considering the 2025 season that Jazz is coming off, as compared with Volpe's 2025 stinker. Once Caballero is healthy, the Yankees should put Volpe out of sight and out of mind until another injury occurs (or he does some honest work in Triple-A).

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