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New York Yankees embattled shortstop Anthony Volpe usually rolls with the punches thrown by the rabid fan base over his inconsistency at the plate, but he offered a rare public response on Wednesday.
Volpe reportedly refused to play second base while he was in Triple-A this season, but he called “B.S.” on that claim. The report has since been retracted.
“It couldn’t be further from the truth,” Volpe told reporters, via the New York Post. “From my end, from my perspective, that’s been very clearly communicated to [manager Aaron Boone] and the team. I think it’s just kind of B.S., honestly, because I’d hope my teammates in here — I’ve played with them for three-plus years — I hope they know my character and that I’d literally do anything to help the team win. Literally anything.
“So, I think just the narrative and what it tries to say about me, I feel like I’m defending myself over something that literally didn’t happen.”
The 25-year-old added that the Yankees had not approached him about switching his position until José Caballero, who began the season as the team’s shortstop, came off the injured list in May.
Volpe, who underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, was working during his rehab with the mindset of being a shortstop. That was the case during his rehab assignment, though he was optioned to Triple-A on May 4 when he was set to come off the injured list because of Caballero’s good performance to begin the season.
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Volpe also mentioned he was checking in with the Yankees during the offseason, asking what was expected of him during a time when his rehab process only allowed him to take ground balls. He couldn’t throw across the diamond yet.
Volpe said the message from the Yankees was to be ready to play shortstop.
When the season began, GM Brian Cashman also noted that the plan was to always have Volpe get back into the mix as the team’s shortstop, but Caballero’s play forced the Yankees’ hand.
However, things changed when Caballero got hurt himself, and Volpe was called back up naturally to fill the space. At the time, he was only playing shortstop in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“When I was getting optioned, I told Booney I’d play catcher, I’d do literally whatever the team needed,” Volpe explained. “And that’s the truth behind the story. That’s why the fact that what was said was said is catching me so off-guard because there was literally zero of that.”
Finally, Volpe said he had “no problem” with the introduction of a position change.
“I want to be here and I want to help the team win the World Series. That’s literally all I want,” Volpe said.
Boone added: “I know he would do anything. Volpe’s character and team-first [mindset] is beyond reproach. He’s as good as it gets. He’s been through a lot and he’s handled everything with toughness, with grace, with work ethic and with team-first in mind. He’s always been that way.”
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Volpe, a first-round pick out of Delbarton High School in New Jersey by the Yankees back in 2019, has had his moments with the team, but consistency hasn’t been there through parts of four seasons.
For his career, Volpe is slashing .224/.287/.375 with a .662 OPS across 513 games. Volpe’s 19 errors at shortstop last season also led MLB in that category. He has three in 36 starts this year for the Yankees.
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