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Yankees fans react to Anthony Volpe decision.

The New York Yankees made a rather surprising decision on Sunday by optioning Anthony Volpe to Triple-A after his rehab assignment ended.

Volpe’s 20-day rehab assignment ended on Sunday, and the Yankees had to decide whether to keep him in the majors or send him down. Although Volpe had been the team’s starting shortstop for a couple of years now, Jose Caballero has been playing well, so the Yankees optioned him to the minors.

Following the Yankees’ decision to option Volpe, fans reacted on social media, and most were surprised.

“Wow. I really didn’t think they had the balls to do it,” a fan wrote.

“How Volpe responds will be very telling about what kind of career he’ll have going forward because he has never not been “the guy” since become a professional. The ability to overcome failure & adversity is a necessary requirement for sustained success in MLB,” a fan wrote.

“It’s the right thing to do for him and the team. He didn’t play well last year, he’s recovering from injury,” a fan added.

“Yankees ain’t messing around! This is our year. LFG babyyyy,” a fan added.

Although Volpe has been an impact player for the Yankees, fans felt like it was a decision that was needed.

“Yep, this is the year. We’re finally making good decisions,” a fan wrote.

“Respect the move, it’s about time. Feel for volpe though not going to lie that sucks. Hope he gets his game up,” a fan added.

“Yankees appear serious about putting the best 9 on the field. A refreshing change!,” a fan wrote.

“Volpe days with the Yankees are probably done. They’re going to ride Cabby until he fizzles then it’s the Lombard Jr show,” a fan added.

Aaron Boone Praises Play of Caballero

Part of the reason why the Yankees decided to option Volpe is due to the play of Caballero.

Caballero has played well at shortstop, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he deserved everyday reps.

“Well, one, Caballero’s playing the heck out of the position and playing really well, so that complicates it,” Boone said. “Just deciding, what’s the role that exists right away? Those are things we’ve got to continue to work through.”

Boone said Caballero could be a super utility player, but his play at shortstop deserves him runway to be the everyday shortstop.

“You also can’t ignore that he’s played so well defensively at shortstop, been a real spark for us offensively, especially after kind of getting off to a slow start probably the first 10 days, two weeks of the season,” Boone said. “He’s really picked that up and been in the middle of us winning games.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to try and do what’s best for our team and then individual players that we care about too and know that are going to be important contributors to our team. We weigh all that.”

Caballero is hitting .259 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs this season with the Yankees.

Yankees Could Gain Year of Control on Volpe

Although the Yankees decided to option Volpe due to the play of Caballero, it could also be contract-related.

If Volpe sent down and kept in the minors for 20 days, it would also push his free agency from 2028 to 2029. So, by having him in the minors for the month of May, the Yankees could gain an extra year of control and allow Caballero to continue playing every day.

Whether or not that was the reason is uncertain, but it could have played a role.

Volpe hit .250 with 1 home run and 6 RBIs in 49 plate appearances on his rehab assignment.