Yankees' Anthony Volpe Trade Possibility Becoming More Real

Last month, the New York Yankees demoted Anthony Volpe down to the minor leagues in favor of George Lombard Jr., the top prospect who now appears to have a stranglehold on the Yankees' starting shortstop job.

Then again, so did Volpe a couple of years ago, and we saw how that turned out.

Regardless, Volpe is now back in the big leagues and is getting another opportunity, this time at second base with Jazz Chisholm sidelined due to a thumb injury.

Chisholm was placed on the 10-day injured list, but his absence could extend beyond that.

Enter Volpe, who had been on an absolute tear in Triple-A before being called up to replace Chisholm on Wednesday.

The question is whether Volpe will establish himself as the team's second baseman for 2027 or increase his trade value for the offseason.

Chisholm is slated to hit free agency after 2026, and the Yankees do not appear to have any intention of bringing him back. That could change between now and this winter, but the general consensus is that Chisholm will be gone.

That leaves the door open for Volpe to steal the starting second base job. That is, of course, unless New York would prefer to go in the direction of someone like Luis Arraez, which would then free up the possibility of a Volpe trade.

Right now, Volpe's value is rather limited. Yes, he is still good defensively, as evidenced by the fact that he posted a plus-6 DRS and plus-4 OAA at shortstop before being sent down this season. You can only imagine he'll be better at an easier position like second.

But offensively, the 25-year-old remains a conundrum.

Volpe slashed .240/.325/.322 with one home run and 19 RBI over 194 plate appearances in 2026 before his demotion. Remember: he missed the first two months of the campaign while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

The increased walk rate (11.3 percent) was impressive, but his precipitous drop in power was also noteworthy. Volpe hit 19 homers last season. He bashed 21 during his rookie season back in 2023. So what exactly happened this year?

The good news is that the former first-round pick just tallied 11 long balls in Triple-A, so maybe he is starting to regain his power.

Surely, the Yankees are weighing Volpe as a potential option at second base next spring. He is cheap, he is a good defender and he has shown flashes of talent in the past.

But New York also understands that acquiring someone like Arraez in free agency would do wonders for the lineup, which could result in the Yanks ultimately jettisoning Volpe in a couple of months.

Of course, how Volpe performs in Chisholm's stead will play a significant role in determining which direction the Yankees proceed.