All year, the Yankees have played Anthony Volpe at shortstop. In October, that might have to change.

Back in April, if you were to project the future of the Yankees, every hopeful metric would start with Anthony Volpe. 

He was...

a) the next Jeter.
b) the next hometown hero
c)  the Gold Glove shortstop
d) the next leadoff fixture
e) our version of Bobby Witt Jr.
f) with a touch of Cal Ripken Jr.

Guy never missed a game, always hustled, always dirtying his jersey. He was our Gen-V. 

Soon, he might be sitting the bench.

You cannot call 2024 a "roller coaster year" for Volpe, because roller coasters go up and down. Volpe's cart just keeps descending.  

Over the last 30 days, he is hitting .222. 

Over the last 15 days, .125. 

Over the last 7 days, .111. 

Nor does he show power. His last HR came Aug. 3. In the recent week, he is striking out at a .562 clip, (9 of his last 16 ABs.) He wears a mask of bewilderment, as if watching a bad movie he cannot escape.

In April, he was a dynamo, a major reason behind the team's torrid start. By May 31, he was down to .282. A month later, .261. He's now at .245. You can argue that it's still better than last year, when he hit a measly .209. (Yeah, and aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how'd you like the show?) But the birds are circling, and off in the distance, the sirens are blaring. 

In Seattle, Aaron Boone pulled the plug - for one night, anyway. He sat Volpe against a righty starter and played Oswaldo Cabrera. Oswaldo went 2-for-5 with an RBI, in an 11-2 rout. (He's 5 for 13 in September, a .385 average -mostly from the left side; his switch-hitting days seem over.) 

Despite Cabrera's solid night, Boone reinstalled Volpe for the remaining two games in Seattle. He went 1-7, with a single and three Ks. Each time, striding back to the dugout, he looked broken.

To his credit, Volpe has not let the slump affect his fielding. Yesterday, he ranged to his left and made a sparkling play behind second. Of all Yankees, he remains the most likely to smear dirt on his jersey. That's not nothing.

Joe Torre used to say the playoffs are no time for a manager to make friends. He once benched Tino Martinez. He even sat Paul O'Neill. This might be Boone's last chance at a ring. If the Yankees collapse - as they have done for 15 years - the blame will fall squarely on somebody, and when it comes to avoiding the mudslide, there is nobody as gifted as Brian Cashman. 

Thus, Boone must make some harsh decisions on the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Clay Holmes and even Gerrit Cole. But the toughest of all might be Volpe, because it strikes at the heart of our future hopes and dreams, which now seem so far, far away.