It’s been a tough year for the Yankees’ young shortstop, Anthony Volpe, on both offense and defense. Over his last 18 games, he’s managed just eight hits and has gone down on strikes 18 times. In the field, things haven’t been much better. Volpe leads the league with 16 errors and carries an ugly -7 Outs Above Average.

Even manager Aaron Boone, who has consistently backed Volpe, admitted the struggles are hard to ignore. “He’s just scuffling a little offensively over the past week,” Boone said. The result? Volpe sat out the series finale against the Red Sox. As for when he’ll be back in the lineup, Boone shared some notable updates.

Well, the Yankees (69-60) have now dropped eight straight games to the Red Sox this season, slipping 1 1/2 games behind Boston (71-59) in the AL Wild Card race. And in the middle of this skid, the team’s most error-prone player is facing an uncertain role.

Yes, Anthony Volpe may not be the Yankees’ everyday shortstop for a while. Notably, in the ongoing series finale against Boston, Jose Caballero got the start at short instead of Volpe, and it might not just be a onetime change.

When asked if Volpe was simply getting a day off, Boone didn’t commit, saying only, “We’ll see. I haven’t made any definitive decision yet. I just want to get through today and do everything we can to get a win tonight and we’ll see where we’re at heading into tomorrow.”

Amid his defensive issues, Volpe has been ice-cold at the plate. He’s hitting just .042 with 10 SOs over his last 7 games. So what happens if the Yankees decide to let him sit down for a while? Well, nothing is set in stone yet, but there are a couple of possibilities…

Volpe could be sent to the minors to work on his defense and reset at the plate. Or he could simply get more time off in hopes that some rest helps him bounce back.

One of the main reasons the Yankees stuck with Anthony Volpe for so long was simply a lack of alternatives. But that may be changing.

The Yankees are readying Volpe’s replacement

Jose Caballero is starting to look like he could be more than just a fill-in, maybe even a long-term option in New York. Well, he came in ready to make the most of his chance, and after being used as a utility player at first, he’s now earning regular starts.

Reportedly, over his last seven games, Caballero has been red hot at the plate, slashing .389/.522/.722, while Volpe has struggled badly at .042/.042/.083. Add in Caballero’s speed on the bases and steady defense at short, and he’s making a strong case to stick.

Boone has already hinted that giving Volpe a breather in favor of Caballero is on the table. But if Caballero keeps hitting and fielding well, this could turn into more than just a temporary change, possibly leaving Volpe on the bench for the foreseeable future.

The story of going beyond Anthony Volpe might have just started today in the series final against the Red Sox.