Bobby Valentine, who famously managed the New York Mets to the 2000 World Series which was a subway series with the New York Yankees, took a shot at the Yankees culture, specifically surrounding embattled shortstop Anthony Volpe.
Volpe has been sidelined with a day-to-day tag after it was announced that he had suffered a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Yankees said he suffered the injury back in May but has been playing through it.
Even if he was hurt for most of the summer, his play, especially defensively, was a liability to the Yankees success as he was a big reason for some of New York’s summer woes.
Valentine expressed his feelings about the scrutiny that Volpe fell under during his struggles
“The shortstop across town was so uncomfortable that he’s benched now,” Valentine said. “Think about that. I think that’s incredible what happened there.”
“The shortstop across town was so uncomfortable that he’s benched now. Think about that.”
Whether he was referring to Volpe’s teammates and coaches that made him uncomfortable or the fans that made him uncomfortable (or some combination of both), Valentine is clearly of the mindset that the Yankees culture has worked to the young shortstop’s detriment.
Volpe is batting .206 this season with an OPS of .661 and has 19 errors, the most in the American League and third most in the MLB.
Volpe Won’t Return To Play Against Red Sox Sunday Night
Volpe was initially listed as day-to-day earlier this week and received a cortisone-injection to his shoulder to relieve the pain on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
He was initially projected to be active for the Yankees series against the Boston Red Sox this weekend, but New York is playing it safe and giving him extra rest as Jose Caballero fills in for him at shortstop.
Even when he does get healthy again, Caballero has proved his value at shortstop, so it will be a difficult decision for Aaron Boone to make on whether he trusts Volpe in the lineup in late September and into the postseason.
Caballero is batting 8th and playing shortstop on Sunday Night Baseball against the Red Sox tonight.
Yankees Look To Sweep Red Sox
The New York Yankees have finally found success against their rivals this weekend as they took two wins at Fenway Park on Friday and Saturday by scores of 4-1 and 4-3. Heading into the weekend, the Red Sox had won eight of the first ten games in the season series, but the Yankees have a chance to fully exorcise their demons with a sweep of the Red Sox tonight.
With a win tonight, the Yankees would extend their lead at the top of the Wild Card standings to 3.5 games over Boston and 4 over the Houston Astros.
It’s a huge game for Boston, which is now in a spot where any extension of their losing streak could put them on the brink of falling out of the playoff picture all together. A win tonight would be a double whammy for the Yankees, improving their playoff chances and putting the Sox in a really bad spot.
Former Mets Manager Takes Shot at Anthony Volpe & Yankees