Which Yankees Player Loses a Roster Spot When Anthony Volpe Returns?

The New York Yankees’ infield will hopefully get a much-needed boost in the coming weeks with the impending return of shortstop Anthony Volpe.

Volpe, who started the season on the 10-day IL, is still rehabbing from left shoulder surgery late last season for a torn labrum. However, late last week, Yankees fans got a promising update on the 24-year-old shortstop, who will start a rehab assignment on Tuesday at Double-A Somerset, per Erik Boland of Newsday.

According to Boland, Volpe has been getting work in at the team’s minor league complex, and if he does start his assignment on Tuesday, he should be back in the big leagues by “no later than May 4.”

With no Volpe, New York has leaned on Jose Caballero at shortstop this season. Caballero has had varying degrees of success at the plate through the two weeks, despite a .384 OPS. We’ve also seen Ryan McMahon make a couple of appearances at shortstop. That being said, both of those guys should be safe when Volpe returns for better or worse.

However, the same can’t be said for veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk, who made the Opening Day roster over Jasson Domínguez last month. And there’s a strong possibility that Grichuk may find himself off the roster or in the minor leagues.

Randal Grichuk’s job in jeopardy with Anthony Volpe’s impending return

The 34-year-old Grichuk was signed to a minor league deal in February as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training. The signing didn’t move the needle for most Yankees fans, who were more invested in the development of Domínguez and Spencer Jones.

Grichuk didn’t have the most impressive Spring Training, hitting. 125 with a home run, two RBI, and a .484 OPS across 26 plate appearances. However, the Yankees were likely hoping this was a fluke by the veteran outfielder, and not a sign of things to come.

Well, their worst fears have come to light to start the season as Grichuk still doesn’t have a hit in eight games (12 at-bats) and has struck out six times. Most of Grichuk’s plate appearances have come against left-handed pitching, which is supposed to work to his advantage.

For his career, Grichuk is hitting .267 with an .815 OPS against lefties, compared to only .241 and a .733 OPS vs. right-handed hurlers.

Granted, it's still early in the season, so there’s a chance that Grichuk could find the fountain of youth and get on track. But the fact that he’s not hitting anything off lefties, which is his strong suit, is not a good sign.

In fact, Yankees fans wouldn’t be wrong to question the point of keeping him on the roster over Domínguez, who has had his issues in the field, but it's tough to ignore his production in Triple-A right now (.341 with two home runs, two doubles, eight RBI, and seven stolen bases).

When the Yankees selected Grichuk’s contract, it officially put him on the books for $2.5 million in the majors, but reportedly $210K in the minors. The veteran can reportedly earn $1.5 million in performance bonuses tied to his plate appearances, starting at $250K for 200.

However, based on how he’s playing in the majors, it's unlikely he’ll hit that bonus, as this time next month we could see him down at Triple-A with the RailRiders.

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