Yankees' inevitable Anthony Volpe promotion arrives way earlier than anybody wanted

We always knew Anthony Volpe would find his way back to the Yankees. We just hoped it was after a three-week stretch of his new swing solidifying itself, followed by a smooth transition of Jose Caballero back to a super utility role.

Nope. Instead, we got Caballero's middle finger barking after a slide back into first base on a pickoff throw Sunday in Milwaukee. The injury prevented him from fielding his position, but it apparently didn't prevent him from looking good in a BP session on Monday or pinch-running in the ninth, ironically getting cut down on the basepaths for the game's final out (after two more pickoff attempts).

After Caballero travelled back to NYC to see a hand specialist, his "not an IL stint" has quickly required Volpe's return. Volpe holds a .570 OPS with a single home run across 68 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A.

Yankees call up Anthony Volpe and lose the biggest benefit of his demotion

When Volpe was sent down, we knew it wouldn't be permanent. We knew Caballero would struggle at some point. We knew there'd be regression involved. We knew they weren't ready to end Volpe's entire Yankees career. But the one thing we could almost guarantee was that they would bend over backwards to keep him in the minors for 20+ days and add an extra year of team control to his resumé, which would help in trade talks and in the unlikely world where he regained his footing and starred this season.

"Thanks" to the timing of Caballero's injury, we don't even get that. Nobody gets anything.

One thing we know about Anthony Volpe is that, when he gets into a rut, he struggles to steer himself out of it. The unforgiving Yankee fans who prey on his every move - not at ALL innocent in this - play a role in fueling his spirals. In this particular instance, Volpe is already beginning from an unpopular position, and will have to work double time to keep the demons at bay.

Hopefully, at the very least, his glove returns to an elite level without his shoulder barking. But hey, look on the bright side: He's not joining a Yankees team running on any positive momentum at the moment. There's nothing for him to derail. They've lost four straight bad ones. Perfect timing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow