The Yankees ultimately chose not to tinker with their winning lineup and optioned the returning Anthony Volpe to the minors. Surely, that’s not a punishment posting, but replacing a .256 shortstop, Jose Caballero, would have been too tough for the Yankees right now.
An injury, a downturn in the standings, or regression by Caballero could still change things, but fans wonder if that would even be possible anytime soon, especially after Volpe’s baserunning gaffe on Wednesday in the minors.
“What are you doing, Anthony Volpe? With two outs, he didn’t score from first on this Spencer Jones double,” New York Post Sports shared via X.
Volpe was demoted to the Triple-A Scranton and entered the field against the Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday. He made his first appearance on Tuesday and had a good start. He reached base three times and had a couple of hits. It includes a 103 mph infield single. And with that, Volpe was hitting .271 over his first 14 games this season. But everything went for a toss on Wednesday.
What are you doing, Anthony Volpe?
With two outs, he didn’t score from first on this Spencer Jones double. pic.twitter.com/2zBl8jsRoK
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 6, 2026
The clip showed Anthony Volpe sprinting from first base off a Spencer Jones’ fly-ball that hit the right center-field fence. Volpe covered the second but mysteriously slowed down. The ball was still away, and it would have been a routine one run, but Volpe was held at third. Even the Red Sox booth was wondering about what made the Yankees’ shortstop not cover the home plate despite a two-out situation.
“I’m not sure how Volpe didn’t score here,” the Red Sox commentator noted. “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.” We also wonder what happened here. Volpe might have thought he hit a home run, or he lacked game awareness.
Anything it would be, it just proved the Yankees right with their decision. “It doesn’t change how we think about Anthony, the kind of player we think he is and will be — but in this moment, you felt like this was the right thing to do,” Aaron Boone justified the decision to demote Volpe. Volpe’s hitting and Caballero’s regressing could help the former to get promoted faster, but Wednesday proved nothing like that happening for now.
The gaffe also proved that Volpe still needs time for rehab. Last June, in a game against the Red Sox, Volpe was the automatic runner in the 10th inning and was caught stealing third base, stifling a potential rally in a game the Yankees lost. So, the fans wonder if anything changed and if the Yankees would even keep Volpe for long.
The Yankees’ fans roast Anthony Volpe
The Yankees fans are not certain about Volpe’s stint with the team anymore. “He’s not our problem anymore. He’s on his way to get traded. Far, far from a major league caliber player,” one fan said. Last year, Boone once blamed the lack of proper shortstop options for repeating Volpe despite his failures. Things are different this year. Caballero has been putting up some hot numbers since last year.
Caballero last year recorded .266 compared to Volpe’s .212. And in case of Caballero’s absence, the Yankees now have Amed Rosario. He could cover shortstop and is currently hitting .267. So, Boone got a lot more options, which is surely making things difficult for Volpe. “He’s gonna be traded for bullpen help in June,” another fan added.
New York currently has three relievers, Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn, and Angel Chivilli, with career ERAs above 4.00. So, an external bullpen could be a good option, but fans wonder if that would come in exchange for Volpe.
“If the team starts losing when he’s inserted back at shortstop, it’s going to be his fault whether it’s his fault or not,” Kay said. Volpe might still need some more time in the minors before gaining back his MLB-level skills.
“He’s not helping his case to be up here,” another said. At the end of the day, Volpe’s lack of game awareness is hurting his prospect to get promoted. With how the Yankees are playing now, it would take a huge leap for Volpe to get up there. Such gaffes would only make things worse for him.
