Yankees insider might've just put expiration date on Anthony Volpe's roster spot

Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently did a mini media tour defending Anthony Volpe, who has been downright bad in his return to the team (with the exception of the Subway Series, in which Mets pitchers somehow couldn't locate the plate every time he stepped into the batter's box).

Even with that wildly inflated weekend, Volpe is hitting .194/.308/.299 with a 71 OPS+ in his 20 games of action. He's also been underwhelming on defense, averaging about one misplay/miscue/error per game whenever he's gotten the start at shortstop.

Fans are not lost on the fact he's working his way back from shoulder surgery, meaning there's no doubt Volpe is going to need time to get acclimated and feel more comfortable. The problem is, he also logged 18 games in the minor leagues this year and hit .221 with a .570 OPS. That's 38 total games where he's been drastically scuffling.

It's no different from what Volpe's produced ever since debuting in 2023. This will be the fourth season the Yankees aren't getting what they need from him, and time is running out, especially with top prospect George Lombard Jr. at Triple-A.

We could be in a situation where the Yankees are giving Volpe the most run possible so they can make a decision on his future, but that still won't make fans feel better about how he's impacting the team in the meantime. That said, Yankees insider Joel Sherman suggests Volpe's playing time between now and the trade deadline could be an information gathering situation of sorts.

Top prospect George Lombard Jr. could eventually replace Anthony Volpe on Yankees

This isn't a new topic of dicussion, either. It was widely discussed in spring training among fans when Lombard Jr. made highlight-reel plays and captured lightning in a bottle with his bat before struggling towards the end and eventually getting optioned. At that point, he hadn't appeared in a Triple-A game yet.

It didn't take him long to earn that promotion this year. After 20 games with Somerset, Lombard got the call to Scranton. His start there wasn't pretty but he's since rebounded, hitting .277 with a .875 OPS over his last 24 games. His strikeouts remain a bit of an issue, but he's been walking a ton. Not to mention, unlike Volpe, Lombard Jr. is a versatile defender with an impressive glove with an ability to play second base, shortstop and third base. Boone said they'd start giving Volpe reps at second base, but we've yet to see that, further indicating they likely don't trust him to make the switch.

Sherman was the one who said the Yankees would option Volpe to Triple-A after his rehab assignment was complete a few months ago. We said we would believe it when we see it, and then it happened. Sherman is back with another bold Volpe prediction as the situation seemingly comes to a boiling point every other day on social media.

What to do with Volpe when the time comes? We have no idea. There will be no interested trade suitors, and parking his $4 million salary in the minor leagues isn't exactly a good look. But something needs to be done if the former first-round pick can't meaningfully contribute to this team after countless opportunities.

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