Anthony Volpe’s first game back in Triple-A contained a little bit of everything for the Yankees’ struggling infielder, who was demoted earlier this week.
In an MLB season where Volpe hit just one home run before being sent to the minor leagues, he matched that total Friday night in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s 13-5 loss to Rochester, but he also committed a brutal throwing error that pulled Tyler Hardman off first base in the eighth inning.
Volpe, the struggling shortstop who was optioned in favor of 21-year-old George Lombard Jr., launched a 431-foot, two-run homer in the third inning.
It marked his first home run at any level since May 26, and the ball left Volpe’s bat with an exit velocity of 106.7 mph.
While it’ll take more than one at-bat for Volpe to claw his way back to the majors this season, it marked a promising start to his stint in the minors — where the lifelong shortstop, who dreamed of playing that position for the Yankees and then won the starting job out of spring training in 2023, will also play second base.
Volpe, who didn’t play in the RailRiders’ first three games after getting optioned alongside outfielder Jasson Domínguez late Monday night, led off and played shortstop against Rochester.
Domínguez occupied the No. 2 spot and manned left field.
Volpe, who committed four errors with the Yankees this season and tied for the American League lead with 19 last year, went 1-for-5 at the plate with four strikeouts Friday.
He opened the 2026 campaign on the injured list after offseason shoulder surgery, and after recovering, he remained in the minors when José Caballero did enough to keep the shortstop job.
But when Caballero ended up on the injured list, it created a temporary window for Volpe, and when Caballero returned, the pair began splitting time at position — as Lombard continued to impress in the minors.
Volpe, in 56 games with the Yankees in 2026, hit .240 with a .646 OPS and just 19 RBIs at the time of his demotion, and manager Aaron Boone said that Volpe playing both shortstop and second base with the RailRiders — after only getting time at shortstop in the minors earlier this season — could benefit both him and the Yankees in the short and long term.
“We’ll have him play both,” Boone said before the Yankees’ win against the Cardinals on Tuesday, when Lombard homered in his MLB debut. “So hopefully, that’s something that serves him well and us well moving forward — potentially in the short-term, but in the long-term as well.”
