Volpe undergoes cortisone shot on left shoulder, has been playing with small tear since May

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NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe had a cortisone shot in his left shoulder on Wednesday after playing through a small tear in his labrum for more than four months.

Before the Yankees beat the Tigers 9-3 on Thursday, manager Aaron Boone confirmed a report in the New York Post that Volpe underwent the injection after reaggravating a previous shoulder injury while making a diving stop on Isiah Kiner-Falefa in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Toronto.

“I went for a play in the hole against IKF and just reaching across the body, and just reaching across the body and then the weight coming on it,” Volpe said. “That's basically what happened.”

It was Volpe’s second cortisone shot this season. The Yankees also said the 24-year-old had a cortisone shot during the All-Star break.

“I think all things considered pretty good,” Volpe said. “We're all just kind of going to see how it responded last night to the shot and if it was good.”

José Caballero started again for Volpe and made his sixth start at shortstop since being acquired at the trade deadline from Tampa Bay. Boone said Volpe was not available off the bench and may miss the opener of a three-game series at Boston on Friday.

Volpe originally was injured when he felt a pop in his shoulder during the eighth inning of a 3-2 loss to the Rays on May 3. He made an unsuccessful backhand stab on Christopher Morel’s single that sparked Tampa Bay’s two-run rally.

“He’s aggravated it, maybe a couple of times, Sunday being one of them and each time it’s kind of added to — I think it’s just a swelling issue," Boone said. "So I think he said something the other day about it.

“We MRI-ed it. It shows a little bit more of a labrum tear but nothing that we think is going to land him on the IL or nothing that he can’t continue to play through. He already feels better today. I don’t expect it to be an issue but that being said, if he goes out there and aggravates it again, we may have to look at it more."

Volpe is hitting .206 with 19 homers and 70 RBIs in 141 games. He is 8 for 44 in his last 12 games since not starting Aug. 24-25 after getting one hit in his previous 28 at-bats heading into the benching.

At the time of his original injury, Volpe was hitting .233 with five homers and 19 RBIs. Since then, he is hitting .197 and has the lowest average among qualified shortstops.

“I don’t think it’s been a major factor in his performance or his ability to swing the bat or in his ability to kind of go to the post every day,” Boone said.

Volpe last played in Tuesday’s 12-2 loss, when he went 0 for 3 with a two strikeouts and popped out on a bunt with two on in the fifth inning.

As a rookie in 2023, Volpe won a Gold Glove and hit .209 with 21 homers, 60 RBIs and had 24 stolen bases after winning the shortstop job in spring training. He batted .243 with 12 homers and 60 RBIs last year.

In the postseason, Volpe batted .286, including hitting a grand slam in Game 4 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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