A hesitation at second base cost Anthony Volpe a run Saturday, and David Cone did not hide his feelings about it. The New York Yankees benched Volpe at the start of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Later, they put him in as a pinch runner in the eighth inning. But instead of helping, he made a very strange mental mistake on the bases. This angered fans and drew harsh words from the TV announcers.

Cone has won five World Series titles as a pitcher. He brought his championship-level perspective to the broadcast booth and pointed out the mistake immediately.

“When you come in as a pinch runner, you gotta know how many outs there are. You’re just going. There’s no reason to look back or hesitate. There are two outs. Just go,” Cone gets quoted by Talkin’ Yanks.

The score was tied in the eighth inning at 1-1 with Volpe at first and Ben Rice at the plate and two outs. Rice hit a grounder to the right field off the Toronto Blue Jays’ Tyler Rogers and was missed by Charles McAdoo at first base. The ball went deep to right field. Since there were two outs, Volpe should have sprinted right away.

Instead, the play got really weird. Volpe completely forgot how many outs there were. He jogged past second base, looked back, and slowed down. The footage clearly showed that the Yankees’ third-base coach, Luis Rojas, was telling Volpe to keep sprinting.

The hesitation forced Volpe to rest at the third while Jasson Dominguez entered the plate and grounded out to the first. A routine run was missed.

The incident once again put the focus on Volpe as the fans wonder why the Yankees are not deciding on him. So far, Volpe recorded .194/.308/.299 with a 71 OPS+ in his 20 games of action. He started the year with a costly fielding gaffe, and now another as a pinch runner. The Yankees believe in Volpe. That’s obvious. But as former pitcher Adam Ottavino pointed out, that kind of loyalty has its limits in New York.

“Every player is replaceable on the New York Yankees, and that’s just the reality of the situation,” former pitcher Adam Ottavino said.

Still, the Yankees recalled Volpe to the lineup again for Sunday’s game against the Blue Jays. Volpe will play at shortstop, while Jose Caballero will play second base.

“I think Caballero is the guy who was originally brought here to be the super-utility guy. Now, he deserves a chance to play shortstop… I like Volpe around. I think he’s earned it. He worked hard. He played well when he was here… I thought it was interesting too that Volpe is gonna play some second base, and that’s what needs to happen here… You’re a baseball player first, before you’re an individual position player,” Cone said last month.

The Yankees front office is going absolutely opposite to what the insiders are suggesting, and that’s what leaves the fans unimpressed. They are wondering about when Volpe’s struggle would end.

The Yankees fans are left unimpressed with Anthony Volpe

Fans are convinced that Antony Volpe lacks the fundamentals of the game.

“Volpe certainly has talent. However, he seriously lacks any fundamentals of the game and is constantly trying to think instead of acting or reacting. And it’s killed any confidence in himself, and it shows everywhere in his game,” one fan said.

There’s no doubt about Anthony Volpe’s talent. He scored 27 HRs at .294 in 2021 and 21 HRs at .249 in 2022. Before entering MLB, he was in scorching form and was one of the Yankees’ top prospects. However, his mental gaffe is costing huge on the field. For example, against the Cleveland Guardians, he misplayed a 96.6 mph line drive from Chase DeLauter directly at him, leading to a run. These incidents are further killing Volpe’s confidence.

“That’s what happens with minor league players… and poor ones at that,” another added.

“These are just easy fundamentals. They struggle year after year. Why???” One user remarked.

Volpe had 19 errors and struggled offensively with a .212 last year. In the middle of last year, Aaron Boone even fielded Caballero in Volpe’s absence. However, nothing changed this year. Just when Volpe was about to return after his injury this year, Ken Rosenthal suggested keeping him in the minors.

“Volpe’s rehabilitation assignment expires tomorrow, so at that point the Yankees either bring him to the majors or they keep him in the minors.”

A few fans also agreed to the same.

“God, I hate Volpe, trade him or cut him,” one fan said.

“He needs to get sent down,” another agreed.

The Yankees, though, did not pay heed to these calls and placed Volpe in Sunday’s lineup. Time will tell how long this goes on.