Shortstop Anthony Volpe’s sophomore season with the New York Yankees was much better than his rookie season, where he finished with a .209 batting average across 159 games. This year, Volpe went on a thundering 43-at-bat stretch in which he hit .372 with a much flatter bat.
Anthony Volpe had made evident changes to his swing and overall stride and he bore results of the same. Moreover, his numbers got better after skipper Aaron Boone promoted him to leadoff spot. However, June’s losing streak took a toll on the kid as he appears to be heading into a shell and Boone is certainly having second thoughts on the ideal Yankees hitting order.
Aaron Boone Open To Demote Anthony Volpe From Leadoff If Woes Continue
New York Yankees young shortstop Anthony Volpe appeared to have found his comfort spot as a leadoff hitter after he was promoted in the absence of injured DJ LeMahieu. Volpe did his part in May before witnessing a slump in June. Amid the team’s losing streak, the kid missed an awful lot of pitches. Since June 26, Volpe has appeared in 23 games, hitting a .191 with a .461 OPS, no homers, 29 strikeouts, and three walks. His troubles continued on Tuesday against the Reds as he went 0-for-5, resulting in a 5-4 loss. Meanwhile, manager Aaron Boone, who appeared on the Talkin Yanks podcast, revealed that Volpe’s slump has caught his attention.
Aaron Boone revealed that when a team is going through a rough patch, it kind of deflates the players, and suddenly, they end up missing pitches that should be punished. That is exactly what seems to be happening with Anthony Volpe as well. However, Boone also said that Volpe could get up and running in a string of good 4-5 games. But certainly, that does not mean the shortstop’s leadoff spot is guaranteed. “It’s something that I’m paying attention to and am open to certain things,” Boone said. That being said, even if the skipper decides to sack Anthony from the leadoff spot, his options are limited. DJ LeMahieu is nowhere close to being his regular self. Juan Soto remains Boone’s best bet. However, Aaron Judge will lose the cushion at no.2 if Soto is promoted. Hence, with a crucial July stretch on the cards, it’s important for Boone to stay mindful.
Stanton, Schmidt Progressing Well From Injuries
Meanwhile, manager Aaron Boone shared crucial injury updates on Giancarlo Stanton and Clarke Schmidt ahead of the series opener against the Reds. The Yankees manager affirmed that Stanton (hamstring strain) did some light running on Tuesday with a mile throwing and hitting session. “It seems like he’s moving in the right direction,” Boone said of Stanton.
On the other hand, starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt (lat strain) begun his throwing program on Tuesday which is way ahead of his schedule. He begun throwing at 75 feet on Monday with more intensity. Schmidt said that soreness in his lat has healed and that he expects to return to mound sooner than earlier predicted.
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