Yankees Lineup: Anthony Volpe rest day comes at the perfect time

Multiple things can be true. Anthony Volpe looks like he could be a future leader of the Yankees. Anthony Volpe earned an Opening Day roster spot on his own merits, which go far beyond the confines of a hot spring training. Anthony Volpe often struggles at every new level he's promoted to before finding his footing.

Anthony Volpe could really use a breather.

On Tuesday, the New York Yankees and manager Aaron Boone acquiesced to that necessity. On Jomboy and Jake's Talkin' Yanks stream, Boone admitted that Volpe would receive his first off day of the season in Cleveland against the Guardians, with super sub (and starting left fielder?) Oswaldo Cabrera playing shortstop in his place.

Any lineup that includes Volpe getting a chance to clear his head and someone other than Isiah Kiner-Falefa at short makes a lot of sense right about now.

Yankees lineup vs Guardians on Tuesday, April 11 won't include Anthony Volpe

It was shocking when Aaron Boone and the Yankees' braintrust pulled the Volpe Lever prior to Opening Day, knowing full well that their budding superstar has required an adjustment period at every level he's been promoted to.

His 2022 season didn't start out as spectacularly as his 2021 breakout. After being tested at Double-A, based in New Jersey and surrounded by friends and family, Volpe came up short to start the campaign, hitting .197 in April and .207 in May before rebounding to hit .298 with 5 bombs in June and .296 with 5 bombs in a Futures Game-interrupted July. Ultimately, he still became the first minor-leaguer with 20+ home runs and 50+ stolen bases in a season since Andruw Jones in the mid-90s.

The Yankees attempted to get the cold spell out of the way at Triple-A by allowing him to spend 22 games there last fall, presumably clearing a path for a hot start at the level in 2023. Instead, they bucked all expectations (both internal and external) and moved Volpe directly to the bigs, knowing he was a big enough name that there was no putting the cork back in the bottle. A demotion would be headline news. They'd have to weather the storm together.

Though Volpe's shown a keen eye and the ability to make adjustments already (the booming triple in Baltimore stands out), he hasn't put it together yet. And that's alright. But Tuesday represents a well-timed rest as he continues to embark on the process.