The New York Yankees decided to option Anthony Volpe to Triple-A after his rehab assignment ended.
While Volpe was rehabbing his injury, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he expected him to be the starting shortstop when he returned. However, Jose Caballero has played well, which led to Volpe being optioned, which Cashman admitted was a hard decision.
“Well, like anything else, we’re paid to make very difficult decisions,” Cashman said to The New York Post. “I think this year’s New York Yankee team is a lot deeper, we have a lot more choices, and (Jose) Caballero has emerged with his play. And so, we kinda had to honor that, kinda snuck up on us a little bit.
“It wasn’t anything that Anthony Volpe was doing wrong; it was what (Caballero) was doing that led to that decision. So stay tuned, it’s a long year. We’re excited that we have Anthony Volpe, we’re excited that we have Cabby, we’re excited about all of the different talented players that we have.”
As Cashman noted, it was Caballero’s play that resulted in Volpe being optioned to Triple-A. So, the former Gold Glove Award winner will have to continue to play in Triple-A and wait to return to the Yankees.
However, by optioning Volpe, the Yankees can gain another year of control if he’s in the minors for 20 days, which could have played a role in the decision. But Cashman said the decision was due to Caballero’s play.
Aaron Judge Sends Message to Volpe
After Volpe was optioned to Triple-A, Yankees captain and superstar Aaron Judge sent a message to the shortstop.
Judge admitted the decision was tough as he’s friends with Volpe but knows he will make an impact when he returns to the majors.
“That was tough,” Judge said. “Anthony’s my guy. I know he’s going to be more motivated than ever to come back here. The team’s been doing well; Caballero at shortstop is just doing an amazing job, defensively and offensively. It’s kind of a tough position to be put in. How are you going to change things up?
“But Anthony’s a big piece of what we’re doing here, and that’s moving forward. We got to a World Series with him as our shortstop. He had some big moments for us in the World Series and that playoff run. I’m excited to see him come back here.”
How long Volpe will be in Triple-A is uncertain, but Judge believes he will help New York win baseball games this season.
Yankees Felt Optioning Volpe was ‘Right Thing’
New York decided to option Volpe in large part due to the play of Caballero.
After the Yankees made the decision, manager Aaron Boone said the team had to make a tough decision, but he still believes Volpe will be a key part of the organization for years to come.
“We have to acknowledge, first, how well José has played,” Boone said. “He’s been a key factor in us getting off to a really great start this year on both sides of the ball and the basepaths.It’s really as simple as that. It doesn’t change how we feel about Anthony or the kind of player we think he is and will be. But in this moment in time, we felt like this was absolutely the right thing to do.”
The Yankees are 25-11 and atop the AL East.
Brian Cashman Breaks Silence on Yankees Decision to Option Anthony Volpe