TheNew York Yankeesstormed out to the best record in the American League withoutAnthony Volpe. And now that their shortstop is healthy enough to return, they've decided to carry on without him.
The Yankees returned Volpe from his minor league rehab assignment and assigned him to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, May 3, a moderately surprising move for a player that was once seemingly a part of the club's core.
Volpe, who turned 25 on April 28, underwent off-season surgery on his left shoulder and missed all of spring training, and a lengthy rehab assignment was always in the offing. Yet the club has received pleasantly surprising production from backup Jose Caballero, who has four home runs and a career-best .711 OPS.
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For now, he will hold down the spot for the 23-11 Yankees, who can sweep a four-game series from division rival Baltimore on Monday. In the bigger picture, Volpe also faces significant competition from top prospect George Lombard Jr., who was recently promoted from Class AA to AAA and is batting .304 with a .913 OPS and four homers across the two levels.
That would mark a precipitous fall for Volpe, who was drafted 30th overall in 2019 and emerged from a crowded field of prospect shortstops to win the full-time job over Oswald Peraza. He hit 21 home runs and finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023 but his lifetime .283 on-base percentage and defensive misadventures lowered his stock.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Anthony Volpe sent to minors by New York Yankees