Yankees Demote Star Leadoff Man in Favor of Surprise Rookie

Through the first 11 games of the 2024 season, Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe recorded 15 hits, posting a .375 batting average and a .444 on-base percentage, giving manager Aaron Boone plenty of cause to consider handing the then-22-year-old more responsibility in the batting order. Boone made the move on April 10, inserting Volpe as the leadoff hitter ahead of the team’s stacked group of sluggers.

Since then, Volpe has scuffled, batting .242 with an on-base percentage of .293, not exactly the leadoff production the Yankees were hoping for. The Yankees were mostly winning, though, so there was not much incentive for Boone to make another move on Volpe.

But the Yankees have gone 5-13 over their last 18 games, and Volpe’s average has slumped even further in that span, down to .185 with an on-base percentage of .214. As a team, the Yankees are hitting .222.

All of this has led to an expected outcome: For Thursday’s July 4 afternoon game against the Reds, Volpe will be moved down in the lineup for the first time in three months—he will hit sixth, and rookie Ben Rice will take over the leadoff spot.

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Yankees’ Aaron Boone Acknowledged Struggles Wednesday

It’s not a huge surprise that Boone has made the move. Perhaps the big surprise is that it took him as long as it did to finally pull the trigger, with the Yankees’ recent slump having moved them down to 2.0 games behind the Orioles in the A.L. East and suddenly not looking like a postseason shoo-in.

They’re still the top wild card in the league, and likely to regroup and get into a nip-and-tuck battle with Baltimore for the division crown. But if the slump persists, the Yankees are only 5.0 games ahead of the Twins, 6.0 games ahead of the Royals and 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the wild card standings.

Boone addressed the situation with Volpe before Wednesday night’s game.

“Look, that’s a fluid situation and something we’re paying attention to,” Boone said, per The Athletic. “Hopefully, he’s on the end of a little downturn of a week or 10 days that has suppressed that a little bit. It’s still a very young player figuring out who he is as a hitter, finding his way and making a significant swing change and adjustment over the winter. …

“But it’s something I’m paying attention to and we’ll see.”

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Anthony Volpe Replaced by Rookie Ben Rice

It helps that Rice has continued his surprise string of productivity since getting to the big leagues three weeks ago as a replacement for the injured Anthony Rizzo. Rice has hit .270, and while his speed (no steals, one caught stealing) and power (three doubles, no other extra-base hits) have been lacking, he has done a good job getting on base, posting a .378 on-base percentage.

Rice is a catcher/first baseman who was only promoted to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre on June 5. But he has been wildly successful at the plate this year, and was really the only option the Yankees had to lead off, with Volpe and infielder DJ LeMahieu both struggling.

Rice hit .261 with 12 homers, a .383 on-base percentage and a .511 slugging percentage at Double-A Somerset this year, before he was brought up to Triple A. He has posted a slash line of .333/.440/.619 in 50 plate appearances with Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

The Yankees had been prepared to have patience with Rice, who is 25 and entered the season as the No. 12 prospect in the organization, according to MLB Pipeline. But the fractured arm suffered by Rizzo last  month forced their hand.

So did Rice’s bat, and the Yankees hope he can keep that up at the top of the order.

 

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