Aaron Judge makes surprisingly impassioned case for Yankees to call up Anthony Volpe

Adam Weinrib

Pittsburgh Pirates v New York Yankees / Julio Aguilar/GettyImages

I guess ... this is the type of thing that Captain Aaron Judge does now? Speaks his mind to put a little elbow grease into pressuring the front office? Don't hate it! Not sure it'll work, but do not hate it.

The loudest story out of Yankees camp so far hasn't been the powerhouse left field competition, though everyone involved there from Aaron Hicks to Willie Calhoun has been drilling baseballs. No, all eyes have instead been on shortstop, where Oswald Peraza has been capably manning the position (prior to succumbing to a minor foot injury).

Often beside him at second base and occasionally in his place, Anthony Volpe has been the standout star of this spring's early games, and has certainly put excess pressure on the Bombers while Gleyber Torres is away with Team Venezuela. Could both prospects be brought north with the team, while Torres is traded? Are Isiah Kiner-Falefa's days numbered?

And, perhaps with a little more spice to it, does Volpe do enough defensively that he should be the future at short, Torres (and Oswaldo Cabrera) should handle second, and Peraza should be dealt altogether for a pitcher?

Many permutations, all of them confusing, but whatever the outcome, Volpe clearly should be at the big-league level ... at least, as soon as his service time concerns expire at the end of April. As if Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman needed a reminder of how excellent the shortstop's been, Aaron Judge went out of his way on Wednesday to push them in the right direction.

“I think he’s got all the makeup tools. He checks a lot of boxes defensively, offensively. He’s got the speed ... My thing has always been, if you’re the best player, it shouldn’t matter your age. You should be up helping the New York Yankees."

– Aaron Judge, on Anthony Volpe
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) March 8, 2023

Yankees captain Aaron Judge says Anthony Volpe's age doesn't matter

"My thing has always been..." huh? Hmm. Maybe Judge was the one who finally got Brian Cashman to promote Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera last summer. That worked out nicely.

While Volpe's age might not matter to the Yankees, either, the extra year before his free agency arrives sure does. Despite his clear starpower and phenomenal makeup that's been on display so far this spring, it still feels like the earliest possible moment of his arrival will be late April, following the Gleyber Torres promotion timeline from 2018.

Or maybe you listen to your Captain, he kicks in a little of his contract to sweeten the Yankees' eventual Volpe extension offer, and we go from there?

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.