New York Yankees fans may not like it, but Anthony Volpe is answering a big offseason question for the team.
It was just six weeks ago that New York Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe was a pariah in the Bronx. He was demoted to Triple-A to clear room for George Lombard Jr. at shortstop, and there was no clear path for him back to the major leagues.
Then, last week, the Yankees placed Jazz Chisholm on the 10-day injured list due to a thumb injury, and suddenly, an avenue opened for Volpe.
New York recalled the 25-year-old from the minor leagues and put him at second base, and the early returns have been impressive.
Since rejoining the big-league club, Volpe has gone 8-for-22 with a grand slam, and on Wednesday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins, he smacked a game-tying two-run double off the wall in the ninth inning.
It's a small sample size, sure, but it's exactly what the Yankees have been looking for, and it's exactly what they want heading into the offseason.
Why? Because Chisholm is hitting free agency in November, and New York seems very unlikely to re-sign him.
Yes, names like Luis Arraez and Brandon Lowe will be available, and they would obviously represent massive upgrades, particularly offensively. But will the Yankees want to shell out the cash necessary to land either one of them?
Volpe makes sense for New York as a Chisholm replacement.
He's young, he's cheap and he is under club control through 2028. Plus, he's a Yankee farmhand, and the Yankees would absolutely love it if he ultimately panned out.
Is it the way New York initially hoped? No. Volpe was initially supposed to be the Yankees' shortstop of the future, and when he won a Gold Glove and smashed 21 home runs during his rookie campaign in 2023, he appeared to be on quite a trajectory.
His second and third seasons, however, were massively disappointing, which, combined with a 2025 shoulder injury that required offseason surgery, has resulted in the up-and-down adventure we have seen this year.
But the Yankees no longer operate like the Evil Empire of the George Steinbrenner years. If they can effectively cut costs, they will, and that will be even more applicable if and when a salary cap is instituted this winter.
Volpe has been playing very well since getting back into the big leagues, and his walk rate on the campaign overall (11.2 percent) has represented a major improvement.
Don't think New York hasn't taken notice.
