Red Sox Rival Expects To Start 2026 Season Without Two Key Players

The 2026 season will represent a fresh slate for the Boston Red Sox and all other teams, but their arch nemesis is already planning to begin the year short-handed.

The New York Yankees revealed Thursday that two players aren’t expected to be ready by Opening Day. New York will likely begin the 2026 campaign without shortstop Anthony Volpe and starting pitcher Carlos Rodón.

Volpe underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a partially torn left labrum. The 24-year-old will be shut down from hitting for four months and may not be able to dive on his injured shoulder for six months.

Yankees fans viewed Volpe as a future cornerstone after he collected 21 home runs and 24 stolen bases as a rookie and won a Gold Glove Award in 2024. But he batted .212/.272/.391 and committed 19 errors during a frustrating year that raised questions about his future as their long-term shortstop.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone insisted in September that the shoulder injury wasn’t impacting Volpe’s play, but general manager Brian Cashman changed the organization’s tune after the right-hander went 1-for-15 with 11 strikeouts during the American League Division Series.

“I personally think now, starting to lean more into, that yes, it was affecting him because ultimately he had to have surgery,” Cashman said on Thursday, via the YES Network.

The Yankees also announced that Rodón underwent a scope on Wednesday to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in his left elbow. The southpaw won’t throw for eight weeks, delaying his offseason ramp-up and likely sidelining him to begin the 2026 season.

Injuries have cost Rodón time throughout his career, but he’s made 65 starts for New York in the last two seasons. In a year that saw the rotation lose Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery, the 32-year-old posted a 3.09 ERA and 203 strikeouts in a career-high 195 1/3 innings.