The New York Yankees shocked fans on Thursday when they announced Anthony Volpe has been battling a partially torn labrum.

The revelation explains his steep decline this year, but it also exposes the organization’s mishandling of one of their young cornerstone pieces.

Playing through pain has backfired

Instead of shutting Volpe down early, the Yankees allowed him to grind through pain, a decision that now looks costly.

The 24-year-old received a cortisone shot this week, but his numbers have already plummeted since aggravating the injury further.

Volpe is hitting .206/.268/.393 with 19 homers and 70 RBIs, the worst offensive production of his young major league career.

While the raw home run total looks serviceable, his power has faded, his contact skills have regressed, and strikeou

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