The New York Yankees are counting on Anthony Volpe to provide a spark.
He’s back up in the major leagues from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, a response to the injury to Jazz Chisholm.
Whether Volpe can stick around with the Yankees for the long haul could depend on how he performs in this new stint, something that could almost end up feeling like an audition for Volpe.
If he’s given a proper chance, Volpe will be stepping to the plate to try and impress the Yankees with a new swing.
Hitters tinker all the time, but Volpe clearly changed a few things about his approach while he was in the minor leagues.
Whether or not it works in MLB remains to be seen, but it seems safe to expect Volpe to continue doing what he’s been doing and hope that it has the desired outcome for him.
How Anthony Volpe Changed His Swing
Visually, there appear to be two main changes to Volpe’s swing.
The first is with his hands. He’s holding them higher before the pitch arrives.
Previously, his hands were near his chin when he got set. Now, they’re up at the top or above his forehead.
Volpe has also changed what he does with his feet. Most hitters leave their back foot planted as the pitcher winds up. That’s what Volpe always did, but now, he does a little right foot repositioning before his usual small leg kick with his front (left) leg.
Why Anthony Volpe Changed His Swing
That back foot movement is the most visually intriguing, and it’s likely a timing mechanism.
As referenced in the video below, it has been used by some big-name players before:
Left side is from when Anthony Volpe was rehabbing in April, right side is from after his demotion in August.
Hands are higher, and he takes a little backstep before getting into his load. Could be for timing? I remember Nolan Arenado adopting that from Tulo early in his career… pic.twitter.com/3psEgSUAca
— Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) September 10, 2026
The hand positioning might actually be more pivotal to Volpe’s MLB success going forward.
Hitters set up in all different ways, but the main goal is to get the head of the bat in the zone on a path that allows it to do damage when contact is made. A totally flat bat may cover the zone for a while but doesn’t provide a chance to drive the ball as well. A slight upward trajectory is OK if the barrel arrives at the right time.
Lower hands, like Volpe’s older positioning, can give the bat a bit more of a whip action that takes it into and out of the zone faster. The higher hands likely force the hitter to take a more direct path toward contact — it’s not bailing early but instead drives through the ball right when the hitter wants it to.
Now that Volpe is back in the bigs, he’ll just have to prove that his changes work.
Yankees’ Anthony Volpe Changed Swing While in Triple-A