Reflecting on Anthony Volpe’s struggles, Aaron Boone recently said, “I think he handles it quite well.” That’s probably unlikely given that, as of late, it has been a test of patience, grit, and professional pride for the 24-year-old shortstop. While he’s in the midst of a 1-for-28 slump and currently leading the AL with 17 errors, the Yankees benched him for the finale of the four-game series against the Red Sox. Speaking of which, the Yankees managed to avoid a series sweep.

They pulled a 7-2 win on Sunday against the Red Sox. Volpe, meanwhile, has “scuffled a bit over the last week [or] 10 days,” as per Boone. In the first three games against the Red Sox, Volpe went hitless across 10 at-bats.

In the Yankees’ 12-1 loss on Saturday, the 24-year-old laid down a sacrifice bunt. He made a throwing error on a grounder by David Hamilton in the Red Sox’s seventh run in the ninth inning.

However, Volpe revealed that he will be out of the lineup on Monday as well when the Yankees play the Washington Nationals at home. He’s scheduled to step back into the lineup starting Tuesday, per Brendan Kuty. Against the Red Sox on Sunday night, the Yankees started newly acquired utility player José Caballero at shortstop. He is hitting .286 in 15 games with the Yankees and .226 overall.

Amidst all of it, “The only thing I can think of is that, at its worst, there were some things with my footwork and how I was attacking the balls that weren’t where they really needed to be,” Volpe said. He is currently hitting .208 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs in 129 games this season. However, with the playoffs inching closer, the Yankees expect more.

He has started 125 games at shortstop and was not in the starting lineup for only the fifth time throughout this season. Meanwhile, the Yankees are now 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Blue Jays in the AL East and a half-game behind the second-place Red Sox. We’re yet to see how they will tackle Volpe’s situation when he returns.

Yankees lean on Caballero as Volpe battles slump

Anthony Volpe has struggled both at the plate and in the field. Despite underperforming, he still ranks third on the team in RBIs with 65. He is trailing only Cody Bellinger (75) and Aaron Judge (92). He’s also second on the team with four triples, just one behind Belly.

At the same time, among MLB players with at least 500 plate appearances, Volpe’s 86 wRC+ ranks as the second-worst. It reflects that he has struggled to create runs consistently. It’s reasonable that the Yankees fans are infuriated. He was booed after each at-bat on Saturday. It makes sense that the Yankees had to give him a break.

The shortstop spot has always been crucial for the Yankees. For now, they’re relying on José Caballero, and he’s shown that he can rise whenever needed. Manager Aaron Boone also praised him after his performance against the Red Sox. “Cabby gives you that real utility presence that can go play anywhere, especially shortstop. The spark he provides makes a difference,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Yankees, currently at 69-60, are in a heated battle for the wild card, holding the second spot, just two games behind the Red Sox (71-59). Overall, they have lost eight of nine games against the Red Sox.