With New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe back at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, top prospect George Lombard Jr. has taken over shortstop duties in the Majors.
What’s next for Volpe, a former first-round pick and top prospect who was in Lombard’s shoes just four years ago?
On manager Aaron Boone’s recent appearance on “Talkin’ Yanks”, he said that the plan is for Volpe to spend time at shortstop and second base in the minors.
There may be a path to playing time for Volpe at second in 2027, as impending free agent Jazz Chisholm Jr. could sign elsewhere.
But it’s unclear and too early to tell if the American League East organization would have enough confidence in the 25-year-old to make that decision.
Following Volpe’s rookie campaign in 2023, he won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop. He went from 13 outs above average in 2024 to -6 OAA in 2025. But Volpe played through a partially torn labrum from May until he underwent season-ending surgery in October.
The injury could have had a significant impact on his throwing abilities, but his offensive output has mostly stayed consistent despite a major regression in power. Before his second demotion of the season, Volpe only hit one home run in 194 plate appearances.
His .325 on-base percentage would be the highest of his career by 32 points, but his 82 OPS+ in 56 games, 18 percent worse than the league average hitter, is identical to last year’s.
On several occasions, Boone and general manager Brian Cashman have spoken about their confidence in Volpe as a player and as the shortstop of the Yankees, a position that comes with much more pressure and scrutiny than most other organizations.
But New York’s decision to send him to Triple-A was not due to injuries, and it wasn’t a coincidence. The Yankees feel that with Lombard, they have a better chance of winning games than with Volpe at shortstop.
If the Yankees attempted to find a trade suitor for Volpe before Monday’s deadline, clearly there were no takers. Now, they must hope he increases his value with this Triple-A stint. Perhaps Cashman restarts negotiations during the offseason.
Unless Lombard or utilityman Jose Caballero suffers an injury between now and the conclusion of the regular season, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees deciding to promote Volpe again.
Volpe’s future with the organization is unclear, and it’s up to him to change the mostly negative discourse from fans and in the media.
Photo: New York Yankees’ Anthony Volpe looks on during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Friday, July 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)
