The Yankees Should Still be Cautious About Anthony Volpe Even After Big Day

The New York York Yankees should watch with a cautious optimism whenever Anthony Volpe provides anything offensively.

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) reacts after scoring a run against the Toronto Blue Jays on a sacrifice fly by Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It looked like the New York Yankees would drop one to the Kansas City Royals on the road when the prospective MVP, Bobby Witt Jr., homered late. A stifled offense, which struggled to put together runs in their previous win against the Rays and then again at Kauffman Stadium on Memorial Day, looked like they were headed for a disappointing loss.

The Yankees, of course, did not go down quietly. After a Paul Goldschmidt single and Jazz Chisholm Jr. double in the ninth, Anthony Volpe came up to the plate and played the unlikely hero. Volpe, who hit .196/.264/.342 with runners in scoring position in 2025, slashed a ball to left field with two strikes on him. The ball slowly rolled in and allowed both runners to score. The much-maligned shortstop had his moment.

Anthony Volpe puts the @Yankees ahead in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/ZmhhzGf5Wz

— MLB (@MLB) May 25, 2026

It was a boost for a Yankees team that has struggled to stack wins over the last week and watched the Rays lose in Baltimore. It was also a big moment for Volpe, whose opportunities to shine will be few and far between with the emergence of José Caballero.

One moment, though, is not a remedy for three years of struggles with an 85 wRC+. Even if one points to his shoulder last year as a reason for Volpe's underperformance, in his first two seasons, which were healthy, he, too, has a wRC+ of 85.

A long tryout

As it stands, the entirety of 2026 should be a sort of tryout for Volpe. If the Yankees don't decide to upgrade in the infield but he struggles after the deadline, it could be an opportunity to get George Lombard Jr. into the mix. Lombard may not be much better of an option at the plate than Volpe or Ryan McMahon, who has even more to lose, but that glove will play at the big league level.

One thing to look for with Volpe is that he always gets off to a decent enough start where it seems like he's headed in the right direction before falling off. In his first 131 plate appearances last year, he hit .237/.328/.346 with a 119 wRC+. He then cratered, and that could have been due to that shoulder injury.

He got off to a solid start the year the Yankees won the pennant, as well. In his initial 132 plate appearances, he hit .272/.362/.404 with a 124 wRC+. He fell off that year, too.

It's because of these promising starts that the Yankees should be wary of making any sort of commitment to Volpe. You want to root for him because he says and does all the right things. Everybody watched him come up through the system. Still, it's hard to trust those positive moments when the negatives have been so glaring.

New York Yankees infielder George Lombard Jr (96) hits a two-RBI double during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Even with a more jaded take of Volpe, it is important to recognize how big it was for him to come through with runners in scoring position. The fatigued fans who have run out of patience should still appreciate what it's like for a person to struggle in this sport and then provide a spark.

"It just felt great to contribute and help the team win," Volpe said, according to MLB.com's Robert Falkoff. "You do it for this, for the guys. I'm just trying to go out there and compete. Help the team win and have fun. It's the same game I've been playing forever. We have really big goals, and it's going to take all of us."

Manager Aaron Boone praised his shortstop as well.

"No panic there with two strikes," Boone added. "He gets one elevated and gets enough of it to drive it out to left-center. He's a gamer. He's a tough kid and continues to work his tail off and play his tail off."

The next step is to see if Volpe earns another start against the Royals, against whom the Yankees have 10 straight regular-season wins. For as much distrust as anybody has in Volpe, he is at least a better option than McMahon at this point. McMahon and his 60 wRC+, and could be the biggest candidate to be replaced by the young Lombard.