Yankees fans (rightfully) getting excited about Anthony Volpe can't ignore reality

When the New York Yankees called up Anthony Volpe, we all had that familiar pit in our stomachs. It hadn't seemed that the 25-year-old had earned it, with a combined .221/.276/.294 line over 18 games spanning his rehab stint in Somerset and Scranton. Add in the fact that he was given open runway with the hot-hitting Jose Caballero on the IL at the time, and it seemed as if the newfound meritocracy in the Bronx was about to topple.

Volpe hanging on to his big league roster spot despite Caballero's activation seemed to confirm this. But as the hits kept coming, it became impossible to deny that there might be something there. Especially when the much-maligned shortstop came up big with a game-winning two-run single on Memorial Day, it became hard to deny that, despite all the angst, this time might be different.

Following that up with his first homer of the year the following day, as the Yankees throttled the Kansas City Royals, fans are starting to have reason to believe.

It's been 10 games and 40 plate appearances, but the .281/.425/.469 line he's posted is what we've been yearning for over the last three-plus years. While it seems like the long-hyped disappointment might finally be changing the narrative, there are a couple of caveats to consider.

Anthony Volpe's start is exciting, but Yankees fans should take note of these two key factors

Fans have debated all sorts of configurations that New York can use to have both Caballero and Volpe in the lineup at the same time. It hasn't been that hard. Ryan McMahon's bat has been atrocious with the exception of a very small handful of games. Finally, we got to see what that could look like as the Yankees debuted a Volpe-Caballero left side of the infield against Kansas City.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's pump the brakes and consider a couple of factors. First, we're talking about a small sample size. It's not like Volpe hasn't had hot streaks in the past. Last season, he kicked off the year by hitting .297/.366/.703 with four homers over his first 41 plate appearances. That didn't stop him from finishing the year with a .212/.272/.391 line.

Fans dreamt of a Corey Seager blockbuster to replace Volpe over the offseason, despite 40 plate appearances of dominance in 2025. Moral of the story: sample sizes matter.

Quality of competition is also extremely important. Volpe hit .333 and drew seven walks against the Mets, who surprisingly rank 13th in baseball with a 3.96 ERA. Still, that's an average-ish mark, and they certainly have some pretty bad pitchers in Queens the Yankees happened to run into.

Over the first two games in the series against the Royals, Volpe is 4-for-9. Kansas City's pitching has been a major issue for them this year, with a 23rd-ranked 4.39 ERA. And the guy he mashed on Tuesday was just DFA'd. Probably didn't deserve a roster spot to begin with.

The biggest challenge Volpe faced was against the Blue Jays, who rank 10th with a 3.83 ERA. Over that four-game set, he hit .214 with four strikeouts.

We'll need to see him prove he can hit over a sustained period of time while not disappearing against better competition before we truly believe. For now, cautious optimism is fine, but just remember, we've heard this song before.

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