The New York Yankees have one of the most loaded rosters in all of baseball, and even without some of their top young players taking the leap that they’d hoped, they remain right in the hunt in the American League East.
One of those players that has failed to find their consistency at the Major League Baseball level is Anthony Volpe, and while he’s shown flashes of being an everyday shortstop, he’s just failed to dominate over long stretches. 2026 has been much of the same story, and given how big and passionate the Yankees fanbase is, there’s no surprise that he’s drawn the ire of those fans over the past several years.
Michael Kay Starts Controversial Rumor About Anthony Volpe
GettyAnthony Volpe of the New York Yankees.
That means plenty of chatter about Volpe off the field, and recently, Yankees personality Michael Kay began a shocking rumor, stating that when he was optioned to AAA, Volpe refused to try time at second base at the behest of the Yankees.
However, on social media on Wednesday, he walked back that statement, revealing that despite ‘several people’ telling him this was the case, he confirmed with the organization that there was absolutely no truth to the rumor that he began.
Given how much scrutiny that Volpe has dealt with over his young career with the Yankees, this situation should come as absolutely no surprise, but now, the 25-year-old has stood up for himself against the controversial claim.
Anthony Volpe Denies any of What Michael Kay Claims
Unsurprisingly, this report made it all the way back to Volpe, and he was asked about it on Wednesday ahead of a big game against the Tampa Bay Rays, not only denying the validity of it, but stating he told Manager Aaron Boone he would play anywhere the team needed him.
“When I was getting optioned, I told Boonie I’d play catcher,” Volpe said. “I’d do literally whatever the team needed, and that’s the truth.”
Volpe said he was caught off guard by the story that he refused to play second base.
Volpe added onto that that he was taken by surprise when the report from Kay surfaced, and while it was walked back, it came as a huge shock for Volpe who confidently stated he would play anywhere the team needed, even telling Boone that he’d catch if that’s what the Yankees needed. While the team have struggled to get offense from behind the plate, the team aren’t quite there just yet, but it’s great to see an often under fire player like Volpe stand up for himself against what was a ridiculous, potentially fabricated story on the young shortstop.
Given that Volpe is hitting .240 on the season with an OPS of .663 and just one home run on the year, he has done very little to solidify himself as the teams everyday shortstop moving forward, but given the personality and the type of player that he is, he will do anything he can to help the team moving forward, and we may see that if the injuries continue to pile up.
Yankees Anthony Volpe Defends Himself Against Controversial Rumor