When the New York Yankees decided to option Anthony Volpe to Triple-A, it was definitely one of the bigger storylines of the year for the organization.
A few years ago, Volpe was not only viewed as the future shortstop of the organization, but also a potential superstar. It's unfortunate how everything has unfolded over the past few years, but this is the unfortunate reality of Major League Baseball at times.
Just because a prospect looks good in the minor league system, coming up through high school or college, or any other avenue, doesn't mean they're going to find success at the highest level. There's a reason why this game is the hardest in the world, and Volpe, unfortunately, has found that out the hard way.
But there's also an emotional side of things that definitely has an impact on these guys, and captain Aaron Judge spoke about that. Judge wanted to ensure that Volpe understood why this was happening and even gave him some words of encouragement.
“We’ve got a good ballclub, so it’s good to be urgent,” Judge said, per MLB.com. “Us as players, we’re up there fighting for our lives every single day. We’re trying to win every single game. So to see it from the management side, where it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re not going to mess around here with some moves, we’re going to do what’s best for the team,’ you appreciate seeing that as a player.”
“That was tough. Anthony’s my guy,” Judge said. “I know he’s going to be more motivated than ever to come back here. The team’s been doing well; Caballero at shortstop is just doing an amazing job, defensively and offensively. It’s kind of a tough position to be put in. How are you going to change things up?”
Judge knows better than anybody how difficult it is to play in New York City, but unlike Volpe, he has really succeeded at the highest level. Regardless, it's good to hear him stick up for his guys, as Judge also understands why this move was made, as the Yankees have been the best team in the American League by a somewhat wide margin early on.