Yankee infielder's surprising surge gives team hope

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe made headlines in July for his poor play, leading to speculation that he may be replaced by recent Yankees acquisition Jose Caballero. But Volpe's sudden resurgence has quieted that chatter. 

Before the All-Star break, Volpe was hitting just .214/.287/.384 with 10 home runs in 341 at-bats. In 61 at-bats after the All-Star break (entering Tuesday), he is hitting .248/.288/.639 with seven home runs.

There are still aspects of Volpe's play that leave much to be desired. His low walk rate has yielded a poor on-base percentage (Volpe's .288 OBP in the past 17 games lags behind the league average of .316) and his below-average defense at shortstop (-6 outs above average, including an MLB-worst 16 errors) has made him the target of heightened scrutiny. However, his .639 slugging percentage and seven home runs over this recent span offer compelling reasons to leave him in the lineup. 

"Now he’s starting to see some results,” manager Aaron Boone said of Volpe after a loss Friday, per Mike Lupica of MLB.com. "I think his best days are in front of him, this year and beyond." 

Volpe's perceived replacement, Caballero, is hitting .223/.324/.307 with two home runs. His batting average and on-base percentage exceed Volpe's numbers (though Volpe may soon pass him in average). Caballero also is a good defender at shortstop and his 35 stolen bases lead the league. However, because his power potential is nearly negligible (two HRs this season), his offense doesn’t offer significant improvement over Volpe.

Volpe’s defense hasn't made the progress that his offense has, which is a concern, but he won a Gold Glove as a rookie in 2023, so he could rebound. And with his team struggling to stay afloat (the Yankees are tied with the Mariners for the last wild-card spot entering Tuesday), Volpe’s bat has become esssential for New York. 

At a time when the Yankees are sliding, Volpe's power surge could be what keeps New York in the postseason picture.