Cubs' drastic Kyle Tucker move emphasizes Yankees' Anthony Volpe problem

The Chicago Cubs have had a rough go of it. New York Yankees fans can relate, as their team went into a tailspin from the end of May until about a week ago. But, generally, all is fine. The Cubs have a 4.5-game cushion in the Wild Card and the Yankees just gained a game on the top WC spot as they threaten the Blue Jays for the AL East crown.

But that's not to say problems still don't exist. For the Cubs, they just witnessed the worst career stretch from star player Kyle Tucker. The slugger has fallen off a cliff over the last month or so, and Cubs manager Craig Counsell made an executive decision to give him a mental reset.

Tucker sat for the team's doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday and ... the Cubs won both games. He's also expected to sit on Wednesday. It's probably a coincidence, but it's at least evident the team was willing to go to somewhat drastic measures to get Tucker, one of their most important players, and the rest of the lineup right. They scored 10 runs over the two games after scoring 10 total in their previous five games.

So that has Yankees fans wondering: if someone of Tucker's caliber isn't immune to getting benched during a horrid stretch of play, then why is Anthony Volpe? In the Yankees' defense, Volpe just got his first traditional day of rest on Sunday when Aaron Boone started Jose Caballero at shortstop. Every other time Volpe's been out of the lineup was due to a potential injury concern.

Otherwise, over the course of his three-year career, Volpe has quite literally gotten no rest. He's missed a total of seven games since debuting. There's something to be said about his durability, but then again, simply being on the field sometimes isn't enough.

At least, not when you have a career 85 OPS+ and have shown signs of declining on defense, which was said to be the strong suit of your game.

Cubs' drastic Kyle Tucker move emphasizes Yankees' Anthony Volpe problem

Interestingly enough, Volpe was on fire out of the All-Star break. Why? Because he got some rest! Every year has been the same story. The 24-year-old typically has a good April, then tapers off a bit in May, and then craters from June until the middle of July. He catches fire for the next couple weeks after that, and then he's right back to where he was — an offensive liability through the end of the year.

Over his last two weeks, Volpe is hitting .167 with a .536 OPS in what's another clear sign that he cannot handle everyday duties at shortstop. He either needs one day off per week, or the Yankees need to find some sort of healthy rotation schedule to keep him fresh and focused.

Even with Tucker's horrid stretch, he still has an .821 OPS and 139 OPS+. Volpe has never come to close to sniffing those numbers. Just think about it: Cubs fans are at their wits end and this guy has a 4.1 WAR! Volpe, on the other hand (1.8), is on pace for his lowest WAR total in a single season since 2023.

The Yankees might not have previously had the personnel to feel comfortable giving Volpe regular rest. And that's the front office's fault. But now they do, as Jose Caballero has proven to be an effective starter when called upon.

Aaron Boone's decision to rest Volpe on Sunday should be the start of a trend to help the Yankees continue their momentum through the end of 2025. And the Cubs' move with Tucker should serve as an inspiration.