It’s been another difficult season for New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe in his fourth year in the majors.
Through 41 games, Volpe is batting .240 with one home run and 13 RBIs to go along with a .326 slugging percentage and a .664 OPS.
Volpe didn’t start either of the first two games of the Yankees’ four-game series against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, but that will change on Wednesday night.
Volpe Back in Lineup
Yankees manager Aaron Boone put Volpe back in the starting lineup at shortstop, moving Jose Caballero to second base. Boone also slotted Volpe into the fifth spot in the batting order, while Caballero will hit second.
Volpe’s continued playing time at shortstop has drawn significant scrutiny from Yankees fans, as he has struggled defensively at times while Caballero has enjoyed a strong season and emerged as one of Boone’s most versatile players.
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Volpe Drama
Volpe also found himself at the center of controversy this week after Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said he had heard the shortstop refused to play second base while he was in the minor leagues earlier this season, a position many fans have wanted him to transition to.
“He has not played great at shortstop and the one thing he’s done and I’m not sure that it’s done but enough people have told me that it’s done is that when he was in the minor leagues, the Yankees said maybe he should play some second base and he said, ‘No, I’m a shortstop.’ That’s not a good look if it happened,” Kay said.
However, Kay walked back those comments on Wednesday morning, saying he looked further into the matter and learned the information he initially shared was inaccurate.
“I spoke of a rumor yesterday on TMKS that Anthony Volpe would not play 2B in the minors. Sounded unlike him, so I checked further today and there is absolutely no truth to it whatsoever. He never refused to work at second.”
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