Yankees Monday Mailbag 6/8: Anthony Volpe's Outlook, Aaron Judge's MVP Case & More

Good Monday morning, Yankees fans—it's time for the weekly mailbag! To submit your questions, reach out to Joseph Randazzo on X or Instagram at @YankeeLibrarian.

Here are answers to six of the most pressing questions that were on Yankees fans minds this week:

How much longer does Anthony Volpe have?
@Natebraus on Instagram

It's hard to imagine that Anthony Volpe has much longer. It's one thing if his defense were sparkling and he were hitting this way. That version of Volpe we saw in 2024 may be gone, though, and his arm, which was never great, feels like it's worse this year. That series against Boston showed us a lot.

Volpe bounced a routine throw in the first game and then, in that second game, when Ceddanne Rafaela was rounding third and heading home, he could have thrown him out by a mile. Instead, Volpe sailed the throw, and it nearly landed in the dugout.

It's clear that Volpe is a liability, and at this point, even the Yankees must see it. There's not much to suggest that he will improve, and there's a chance that they will send him down once Jasson Domínguez returns, but the trigger should be pulled sooner.

Is Judge for sure out of the running for MVP if he's on the IL right now?
@thelaurenPhelps on Instagram

Since it seems like Judge won't be getting any imaging done for another three to four weeks to determine when he will be back, it's hard to see him getting MVP. He wasn't really the frontrunner before he got hurt.

There was that injured list stint last year, but it was only 10 days. He was also the clear frontrunner.

Aaron Judge with a hat on. — Aaron Judge is likely a long shot to be named the 2026 AL MVP. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

That's okay, though. Judge could get another piece of hardware. He could probably use a World Series trophy for his trophy case.

Who has a better chance of making a 2026 postseason roster: ERC or Lagrange
@Jac_morrell on Instagram

My guess would be Carlos Lagrange. The Yankees have already converted him to the bullpen in Triple-A. If we see Elmer Rodríguez in the postseason, I feel like something must have gone horribly wrong in the rotation, and starters have gone down like flies.

What realization did the organization have that they do not have a reliable catcher?
@_not_mikeee on Instagram

It could have been last year. There was a point where Ben Rice took over catching duties for Austin Wells.

The thing is, Wells was awesome after Rice took his job. Wells had 95 plate appearances after he took his job back and hit .271/.319/.553 with a 137 wRC+. Before then, Wells was hitting .206/.263/.405 with an 82 wRC+.

Now Wells is hitting much worse than that. At the point of his benching, he at least had the slugging. He doesn't even have that now. Now he's hitting .166/.278/.255 with a 54 wRC+.

Austin Wells jogging. — Austin Wells has left much to be desired offensively this season, putting the Yankees' catcher position in need of help. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It just feels like the Yankees are at the end of their ropes with both Volpe and Wells. Wells may be a great defensive catcher, which is the reverse of what was expected of him, but next season, if one were to guess, there's a new backstop in the Bronx. It could happen this year.

Is Ali Sánchez going to be on the roster for the rest of the season?
@Mattmann1199 on Instagram

It's hard to imagine that the Yankees want Ali Sánchez on the roster for the rest of the season. This is just the position that they're in, unfortunately. If J.C. Escarra were somewhat decent, with even an 80-something wRC+ and a little pop in his bat, the job would have been his by now.

Both Austin Wells and Escarra have been so bad that they had to dig into the minors to find a replacement. Sanchez may be here for a bit just by virtue of it being hard to find two catchers during the regular season.

You think the team is gonna go above .500 until Judge returns?
@emmanueld1406 on Instagram

I do actually, and it's not just a homer take. The Yankees have seven hitters with a wRC+ above 100, and, in the last month, both Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm have been rolling. That three-run blast by Chisholm could have been one of the more important shots of the season.

Obviously, you can't replace Judge, and if the lineup and rotation were in the place they were in 2023, I wouldn't feel that way. These Yankees were already pretty good around him, and at this point, they're tied for first. They may keep their head above water by virtue of the American League being so bad. At this point, they're a better team than most teams in the AL, even with Judge out.

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