New York Yankees Demote Former Gold Glove Shortstop After Rehab

All told, the Yankees are doing so well this season that they opted not to disrupt the momentum by bringing back long-time shortstop Anthony Volpe when he became available late last week.

“They reinstated Volpe from his rehab assignment and, instead of calling him up to the major-league roster, they demoted him to Triple-A Scranton,” Deesha Thosar wrote for FOX Sports. “While (replacement shortstop Jose) Caballero’s stock started to rise over the past few weeks, the Yankees have become a machine.”

New York Yankees Shortstop Anthony Volpe Called Out For Mistake In Triple-A Game

With that machine churning, there’s no clear timeline for a return to the big leagues for Volpe. An injury, a downturn in the standings or regression by Caballero could change things, as could a sudden surge by Volpe.

But on Wednesday, Volpe was caught making a mistake on the basepaths that won’t help raise his stock.

“Looks like Anthony Volpe didn’t realize there were two outs?” popular Yankees media outlet “Talkin’ Yanks” posted on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a clip from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders game against the Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday.

The clip showed Volpe being held at third base after running slowly from first base following a two-out double off of the outfield wall by Yankees prospect Spencer Jones. Inexplicably, Volpe slowed down as he rounded second base. That might be because he thought the ball was a home run, or because he wasn’t aware of the game situation.

“I’m not sure how Volpe didn’t score here,” the Red Sox commentator noted, per the clip. “Look at him slow up as he gets to second base. Did he think this was gone? I mean, two outs, you’ve got to be moving. And he slows up at second base, caught looking at the ball. I’m not sure exactly what he’s doing here.”

Ultimately, the RailRiders won the game in extra innings and Yankees officials might chalk up the gaffe to a temporary and excusable lapse in awareness from the shortstop. But following a disappointing campaign last year and with a big-league roster that is thriving in his absence, Volpe can hardly afford to make many more mistakes if he wants his demotion to end.