David Lennon: Yankees to Anthony Volpe, at least for now . . . See ya!
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe takes part in fielding drills during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 19. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
For a while now, the question has not been about Anthony Volpe’s readiness to return to the Bronx. It was whether the Yankees needed or wanted him back, and that answer was made crystal-clear Sunday night when the fully rehabbed Volpe was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Shocking? Not really. The Yankees had been telegraphing their intentions in recent days. The message was fortified by their on-field success and especially the sterling play of Volpe's replacement, Jose Caballero.
Before Sunday’s 11-3 blowout of the Orioles, manager Aaron Boone didn’t bother to disguise which way he was leaning. To him, there wasn’t much reason for debate.
“We’re off to a really good start, and [Caballero] has been right in the middle of that offensively, defensively,” Boone said. “So he’s earned some opportunities there. It’s really as simple as that. And then you’re weighing what’s the best thing for our team moving forward.”
Not exactly a welcome-back vibe from Boone, who wasn’t about to mess with a pinstriped steamroller that has won 15 of its last 19 games and five consecutive series after taking a third straight game from the Orioles. Consider Volpe now officially in minor-league limbo with no clear path to the Bronx — barring injury, of course.
It’s a significant career setback for Volpe, who just turned 25 last week and three years ago was crowned Derek Jeter’s homegrown successor by winning the Opening Day job out of spring training. But this scenario was always a possibility when his offseason shoulder surgery cracked open the door for Caballero, and now he’ll be vying for attention on the left side of the RailRiders’ infield with supernova prospect George Lombard Jr.
The Volpe decision further signals that the Yankees are a full-blown meritocracy six weeks into this season and have become more cold-blooded in their roster assessments. Volpe’s demotion probably was long overdue, given his extended struggles at the major-league level, and now, by keeping him down for 20 days, the Yankees can push back his free agency for another season.
Their immediate concern, however, has to do with the on-field impact, and they clearly are rolling without him. On Sunday, they rallied to win even though Max Fried didn’t have his "A'' game, Ben Rice left in the fourth inning with a bruised hand and an early 3-1 lead (built on quick homers by Rice and Aaron Judge) was given away.
Rather than play down to the woeful Orioles’ level, the Yankees leaned on the whole lineup — top to bottom — to rally for seven runs in the eighth. Jasson Dominguez (three hits) smacked a two-run homer and an RBI double in the inning. Another trigger was Caballero, who supplied a bunt single that loaded the bases and set the table for that eighth-inning explosion. Even Ryan McMahon, who’s seen his playing time shrivel some, had his first three-hit game this season.
There was no need for Boone & Co. to seek any algorithmic rational for the Volpe decision. Just the old proverb: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
“I just feel like the guys are in a good place and we have a lot of ways to beat you,” Boone said Sunday after the Yankees moved to 23-11, the American League’s best record. “And we have a lot of ways to beat you.”
In other words, while Volpe rehabbed, the Yankees moved on.
Ideally, Caballero was supposed to be a super-utility player, a weapon who adds flexibility to the lineup or can be a potent late-inning threat. Instead, he’s become the daily spark plug — on both sides of the ball — Volpe was envisioned to be but never fully developed into.
Bench-wise, the Yankees also are thrilled with the production of Amed Rosario, who has excelled as a platoon complement (and more) to McMahon’s primarily defensive value.
There’s no reason to interfere with any of that, and the Yankees seemingly avoided a major scare Sunday when the mid-game X-rays of Rice’s hand came back negative. He suffered the injury while trying to glove Fried's pickoff throw in the third inning, yet stuck around long enough to double in front of Judge’s 13th homer, a 413-foot two-run blast to center in the bottom half.
There’s a chance that Rice will need a day or two, depending on how he feels Monday morning, but he wasn’t concerned. And as long as he stays intact — he’s up to 12 homers, 27 RBIs, a .343 batting average and a 1.214 OPS — the Yankees should keep crushing.
“The team’s in a good spot,” Rice said. “So we just got to stay with it. It’s still super-early, but of course we like where we’re at.”
With Volpe back in Triple-A, he could look to Dominguez as his North Star. Dominguez was ticketed for the minors in February, but after doing damage at Scranton, he finally got his return trip a week ago when Giancarlo Stanton landed on the injured list. On Sunday, Dominguez went 3-for-5 with a homer and two doubles, and in the eighth, he had hits from both sides of the plate (the double was off lefty reliever Dietrich Enns). His earlier double came against lefthander Grant Wolfram. If he can do damage while batting righthanded, that's a great sign for the Yankees.
If Dominguez was shaken by his spring training demotion, it never showed, and the Martian’s recent contributions have put that chapter in the rearview mirror for now.
“At first, it’s always tough,” he said. “But at that time, that’s what I got. You just got to go out and do your job.”
That’s all the Yankees are focused on now — doing their jobs. Unfortunately for Volpe, he no longer has one in the Bronx.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
